Making bad calls at the poker tables is one of the easiest ways to screw up a good win-rate. But there is a big difference between a call made for the right reasons and one that is made simply due to emotion and poor logic.
We definitely want to make plenty of the former (good calls) and avoid making the latter. In this article I am going to explain exactly what the difference is between a good call and a bad call. I am also going to give you strategies to stop making bad calls.
What is a Good Call?
Let's start by talking about the kind of calls that we want to be making. A good call is one that is made for any of the following reasons:
- You think you have the best hand
- You have the right odds to continue
- You are setting up a bluff for later on in the hand
A good call also presupposes that you have weighed your other two options (raising or folding) and have decided that there is a higher EV (expected value) in calling.
Let's look at a few examples of each of these.
1. You Think You Have the Best Hand
Hero has A♥J♠
Villain bets $5 into a $10 pot on this river
Q♣J♣7♠4♥3♦
Hero???
We could make the call in this spot if we think that we have the best hand. There are plenty of missed straight draws (T9 and KT), missed flush draws (any two clubs) and even a few worse Jacks that might be trying to value bet (KJ, JT).
We do not expect to be right all of the time though. It is important to remember that in poker we play against ranges, not individual hands.
So while our opponent's range might include several missed draws and some worse Jacks, sometimes we will also be shown a Queen, a set or something else that beats us.
Our decision in this spot really depends heavily on the player type. Some players are going to have more value hands here. Some will have more bluffs.
2. You Have the Right Odds to Continue
Another reason to make a "good call" is because you have the right odds (i.e., the poker math makes sense). So in the example above for instance villain has bet $5 into a pot of $10. Our pot odds here (Bet + Pot Size / Bet) are 3 to 1.
What does this mean to us though?
It means that we should be 3 to 1 against at most to win the pot. Or more specifically, we need to be right here at least 25% of the time. As long as we think that we have the best hand here 1 out of every 4 times or better, we can profitably call.
If we were in a situation say on the turn with a draw then a similar logic would apply. If the odds of making our hand are equal to or better than our pot odds, then we can profitably continue.
For example:
We have a flush draw on the turn. A flush draw is roughly 4 to 1 against to hit on the river. If we are getting 4 to 1 or better pot odds, then we can call and make an immediate profit.
Furthermore, if we have implied odds on the river as well, then sometimes we don't even need to have the right pot odds in order to make a profitable call.
I don't want to turn this into a lengthy treatise on poker math though. I have talked about poker math in detail before on several occasions. You can find a recent article here.
3. You are Setting up a Bluff Later on in the Hand
This last reason for a good call is a little bit more complicated and it is not something that I suggest doing very often if you are new to the game or playing at the micros.
Nonethless, it can certainly be a valid reason to make a call. Here is an example:
Hero has 8♦7♦
Villain CBets on a flop of
9♥5♠2♦
Hero???
We could call in this spot with the intention of taking away the pot on a later street. We don't have much equity (gutshot and a backdoor flush draw) and so this is much more about playing the player rather than the cards.
If we are up against someone who CBets the flop frequently for instance but then gives up a lot on the turn, then this could be a profitable spot to float and then bet the turn when checked to.
For specific examples of the types of regs to do this against and the associated HUD stats, you can check out my article on beating the regs.
What is a Bad Call?
Ok, so now that we have outlined some of the main reasons for making a good call let's talk about some of the reasons (or lackthereof) behind bad calls.
A bad call is made for any of the following reasons:
- Tilt
- There is no reason
- Faulty Logic
Furthermore, when somebody makes a bad call, often they have not even
considered their other options in the hand. It is often the case in
poker that raising or folding will show a higher long term EV.
Let's talk about these "reasons" for making a bad call one by one.
1. Tilt
Tilt is the 800 pound elephant in the room that affects every poker
player on earth to varying degrees. Poker is an emotional game with
endless ups and downs. Most people are not very good at dealing with downswings in particular and it can affect their decisions at the table in a negative way.
Here is an example of a bad call based off of tilt.
Hero has 9♦9♥
Villain (Nit regular) triple barrels on this river
2♠2♣4♥7♠2♦
When a nitty regular at the micros triple barrels us here (raised
preflop, bet the flop, turn and river) we are going to get shown a
higher overpair (higher boat technically on this board) a very high
percentage of the time.
The correct play here is to fold.
But this is a spot where some people may have a problem laying their
hand down especially if they have been losing a lot and they are on
tilt. They will make a so called "crying call" here when deep down they
know that there is very little chance that their hand is good.
2. There is No Reason
Newer or inexperienced poker players in particular may often make a call
without any real reason at all. We have all seen this countless times
when playing against recreational players for instance.
The river comes with an ace, we check it down and they turn over the
rivered ace. We are dumbfounded as to why they are even in the hand. But
this is just what bad or inexperienced poker players often do, call for
no reason.
3. Faulty Logic
The last reason for making a bad call I will loosely just call "faulty
logic." This can mean stuff like not understanding how to calculate pot
odds and hand odds correctly as I discussed above.
This can also include making a bad call based off of superstition. Some
people have a "favorite hand" for instance. There is no logic or reason
for them behind making a call in a specific spot. They just happen to
love 8♦6♦!!
How to Stop Making Bad Calls
Now that we know the differences between good calls and bad calls let's
talk about how to stop making the bad ones. Good calls which are made
for the right reasons can have a beneficial impact on our win-rate in
the long run.
But as I mentioned at the top, bad calls can have a very negative affect
on our win-rate especially if you make them frequently.
1. Always Make Calls in Poker for a Reason
Most importantly, the #1 way to stop making bad calls is to always
demand a reason out of yourself for why you are making a call. Do not
allow yourself to just blindly hit the call button or throw the chips in
the middle...just because.
Poker is game where we get ahead by making better decisions than our opponents. If you are routinely not even thinking about why you make the decisions that you do, then you may as well just give away your money or go play Bingo.
We need to always have a reason for the actions that we take at the
poker tables and a plan for the hand. If you are going to make a call,
then once again, it should be for one of these reasons:
- You think you have the best hand
- You have the poker math on your side
- You are setting up a bluff for later
2. Always Make Sure You Have Weighed Your Other Options
Secondly, before making a call always make sure that you have considered
raising or folding as well. You should have clearly determined that
both of these options are inferior to calling.
So many people just randomly click buttons in this game without even
thinking. It is often the case that raising or folding actually are the
better options in poker. Show me somebody who likes to call a lot and I
will show you a losing poker player.
Make sure that you have carefully considered raising (either as a bluff
or for value) or simply just folding, before you hit that call button.
3. Quit When Tilt Takes Over
Lastly, the biggest reason why people make bad calls is because they are
on tilt. They are frustrated by a recent run of bad beats/coolers and
therefore their logical decision making skills are diminished.
Countless studies have concluded that emotions (and frustration/anger in
particular) negatively affect our reasoning abilities. For instance, in
a recent Harvard study Litvak et al. found that angry decision makers frequently exhibit signs of increased "aggression and unrealistic optimism."
In poker terms this means that when you make that tilt induced bad call
on the river it is often because you subconsciously want to get back at
your opponent by showing them that you won't back down. The problem is
that there is no room for ego in poker. When you are beat, you need to
fold.
When on tilt you may also find ways to convince yourself that they are bluffing more than they are in reality. Or you will simply make that crying call because you just want to see it (even though you know that you are beat deep down).
When on tilt you may also find ways to convince yourself that they are bluffing more than they are in reality. Or you will simply make that crying call because you just want to see it (even though you know that you are beat deep down).
Obviously both of these are very negative and unprofitable ways to
approach the game. This is why when you know that you are on tilt the best decision is pretty much always to simply quit.
In your poor state of mind your ability to even discern the difference
between a good call and a bad call can be severely comprimised. Making
bad calls while on tilt is one of the biggest destroyers of bankrolls
and win-rates.
The acclaimed poker mental game coach Tommy Angelo famously talked about the need to "Lop off your C-Game."
What he meant by this is quitting when you dip into your C level game
(or even worse D, E, F) because during these periods your ability to
think straight and make high quality poker decisions is greatly reduced.
The bottom line is that if you can learn to quit when tilt starts to
take over, then you will almost over night say goodbye to a large number
of your bad calls.
Final Thoughts
I hope that this article helped provide you with good outline of the
differences between a good call and a bad call in poker. Good calls are
based on logic and mathematics. Bad calls are based on emotion, faulty
logic or even no thinking at all.
The best way to stop making bad calls in poker is to simply get better
at quitting when tilt starts to get the best of you. When in this state
our ability to think clearly and even determine the difference between a
good call and a bad call is severly diminished.
Furthermore, in order to avoid making bad calls, always make sure that
you can give yourself a solid reason for why you are making the call
(you have the best hand, poker math etc.).
Lastly, make sure that you have weighed your other options and you can
confidently conclude that calling is indeed the best course of action.
Let me know in the comments below how making bad calls in poker affects
you. What methods do you use to prevent them from happening?
Source: http://www.blackrain79.com
Source: http://www.blackrain79.com
