The Beneficial Effects of Feeler Bets in Poker

In a no-limit Texas Holdem game we need to make a lot of risks. But we also have to take precautions to lessen the cost of risk. One way of lessening the cost is through the application of feeler bets. These bets answer the question of whether we should continue with a risk or not.

Many times our opponent will make a show of force by betting heavily. When a player does this we get the impression of a strong hand or at least one that has a potential for a draw. At the same time, we also caution against a mere bluff that the opponent is trying to pull off. We don't want to lose due to a mere daring bluff. So what do we do? We apply feeler bets.

Feeler bets help us a lot in making sure what an opponent really holds in hand. When feeler bets work we easily decide whether to go on with a risk or not. They help us see what the opponent really holds. Thus, we should never be intimidated with a first huge bet. We test how committed a player really is in a hand by watching if a second huge bet is coming from the same.

For instance, we play in middle position and there are 9 others at the table playing. We hold a pair of nines. We are about to act and everybody's watching to see what we will decide on the blinds. We don't know what half of the players have so we apply a feller bet. We raise pre-flop.

After putting in a $10 bet we watch the players' reactions. Let's say we have in full view about $200 chips stack. This raise would likely trigger the following results: the strong players will calmly re-raise. The weak players will call. As they make their actions or reactions we made them decide on our bet - thus we had control of the game that moment with the feeler bet.

The best thing here is that when we made the raise we made a good impression on all the players. We showed that we have a strong hand and are ready to play whatever the flop shows. Though playing from middle position we are able to establish ourselves at least in the minds of the players - all these with a feeler bet.

Hence, we see the importance of feeler bets. They enable us to play steadier and help us project a strong image at the table.