What is an Overbet and When to Use It: Poker Terminology 101 from the SPL

When it comes to your betting strategy in poker, size matters. The amount you bet will not only determine if your opponents call, raise or fold, but it gives them information on what you may have in your hand. By taking a strategic approach to your bets, you can win more pots, become less predictable, and land near the top of each tournament instead of busting out early.

Today we’re going to look at what is called an overbet.

What’s An Overbet?

Image Source: The Poker Model
An overbet is “a bet that is larger than a pot-sized bet.”
Example:

 You and three other players call the minimum bet in a tournament of 20 chips, making the pot 80 chips (assuming the big and small blinds are two of the four players in the pot). Holding K 10 of spades, the flop comes 10 10 2 with two hearts. The two players to your right check, and you bet 150 chips, betting nearly twice as much as what’s in the pot. This is an overbet.

You’re most likely to see an overbet on the river, which is after all five community cards have been dealt. A player who may have earlier hit a straight, flush, full house or other premium hand can now make it look like a bluff by betting more than the pot.

Why Would Anyone Overbet?

A large overbet sends one of several messages to your opponent:

1. I have the best hand right now, and I either believe that you are dumb enough to call with a weaker hand, or I don’t want you to catch a flush, straight, or other draw.
2. I’m bluffing and you will need to risk a large amount of your chips to find out.
3. I know you don’t have anything at all, so I’m putting you on the spot.

Explained in this post on vip-grinders, overbetting does have some benefits, including:

• Overbetting gets maximum value with strong hands

• Overbets allows hero (you) to get all-in in single raised pots without being check-raised

• Overbetting generate maximum fold equity with hero’s bluffs

• Overbets frustrate opponents and often force mistakes from those unfamiliar with overbet theory

When You Should and Shouldn’t

An overbet will always get the attention of your opponents; it stands out from a standard bet. This could be good or bad depending on your hand, your chip stack, and your reputation. If you’re an extremely aggressive player, an overbet might bet called quickly, meaning you should do it if you have the nuts (the best hand possible), but maybe not if you’re bluffing.

On the other hand, if you’re known as being a tight player (like I am), an overbet says that you have a monster hand, and it will likely not get called unless someone else has the best possible hand or a very strong drawing hand. Once you realize what your overbet says about your hand, you can know if you should or shouldn’t make that bet.

To make a good overbet, you should also be tuned into your table and recognize opportunities to get an overbet called. For example, if a slightly aggressive player just lost a difficult hand and is on tilt, they are much more likely to say “f*ck it, I call,” on the next hand. Take advantage of their emotions (sounds bad, but hey, it’s poker) and bet hard. The more you can disrupt a situation, the more likely someone is to make a mistake.

As a general rule, I’d recommend starting out only overbetting with the best hand against aggressive players. These players have a wider range and are likely to hit odd draws that others wouldn’t (like an 8-high flush or backdoor straight), so to protect your hand and maximize value, bet away. Against conservative players who are a little bit more predictable, keep your bet sizes small so you can get them to call when you know you’re ahead in a hand.

Comment below with your thoughts, and good luck at the tables! Want to see if an overbet is a good strategy for you? Come and play in the SPL! Register at Lucksacks.com.
~ Hoodish (@MichaelLuchies)