what is a good feeler bet

[winadil]

asked a few friends of mine while we have been playing and cant really get a positive answer so here is the question
say you have a half decent hand like a mid pair with decent kicker but not really sure where you stand in the game what is a good feeler bet to try and find out where you stand?
i sometimes put out the minimum raise and everyone calls and still have no idea what anyone is playing on or i put in too much and end up getting pot committed. any help would be greatly appricated

[jimmer]

You really need to ask a more specific question (maybe give an example)

However, you're talking about a "probe bet".

Lets say you're playing NL $1-$2. You hold AT on the button. Someone in early position raises to $8. Everyone else folds. You decide to call. The blinds fold. The flop is QT6, the other guy checks to you.

Now could be a good time for a probe bet. IMO the bet needs to be 25%-50% of the size of the pot, so in this case you need to bet around $5-$10.

It's mainly an information bet. If the other guy calls, you really need to consider whether you have the best hand. I'm guessing probably not.


Two more notes of caution;
1. The more players in the pot, the bigger the chance of someone else calling (which you may not want, especially if you have a worse kicker)
2. You need to consider your position. For example, it you are first to act and there's three others in the pot; it's not the best time for a probe bet. This is because; what happens if you make a probe bet and three others call, or even worse, someone re-raises, the chances are you're already beaten. However if you are in the same situation and last to act, it's a whole different story.

Hope this helps. If you don't understand let me know and I'll re-phrase it.

Welcome to the forum and keep asking questions.

[davepoker]

the minimum bet or raise is almost NEVER a good feeler/probe bet.
Generally, you should bet something like 1/4 to 1/3rd of the pot at least.
The player types are also important as well, since against an aggressive player, you may be better off with a check-raise bluff.

[Ensano]

if you're going to bet.... bet....

if you're playing cash games don't waste your time by betting anything less than 2/3 pot on flop or turn... river you can bet more or less depending on whether you want a call or not...

personally i bet the same amount whether i have a monster or i'm just bluffing... always 2/3 pot....

you may play lower stakes where you can get away with lower bet amounts but the higher you go you'll find you're inviting c/r bluffs a lot more...

[MrDarling]

..
personally i bet the same amount whether i have a monster or i'm just bluffing... always 2/3 pot....

Am reading Sklansky's NL Theory and practice and he is totally against same bet size for very round (including PF).

Got some good points behind this statements as well.

It should varied with relation to the flop, strength of hand, stack size, position, opponent style etc..
The baster even say min raises are ok. Go figure ):

[Ensano]

ok... these are pro players that know how to properly disguise their intentions....

you tell a new player to bet differently depending on what type of hands you get and you get this..(these amounts are rough estimates...)

draw or bluff... 1/3 pot...
TP, 2nd pair, overpair... 1/2 pot...
2pair... 2/3 pot...
monster... 1/3 pot...

what do you get?.... a very easy to read/predictable player...

whereas

draw of bluff... 2/3 pot..
TP, 2nd pair, overpair... 2/3 pot..
2pair... 2/3 pot...
monster... 2/3 pot...


tell me which would you rather play against?

[winadil]

yeah is the info i wanted was trying to find out, like if i had top pair crap kicker or mid pair with decent kicker i know it all depend on where your position is was seeing if there is approxament on what ppl bet on the size of the pot

[Ensano]

yeah is the info i wanted was trying to find out, like if i had top pair crap kicker or mid pair with decent kicker i know it all depend on where your position is was seeing if there is approxament on what ppl bet on the size of the pot

bet 2/3 pot...