String bet question

[bunny]

Sorry to disagree with you but I don't believe this is considered a string bet.

Our casino here, checks to see if you have enough chips, when you verbally announce a "raise". Meaning if I were to announce, I'm going to raise; the dealer will make sure I have placed the right amount of chips in front of me, whether it took me one or two trips back and forth to my chip stack. Therefore that's not considered a "String bet".

I have a friend of mine does this quite often. When asked why he does it, he says, it's to see the other player's facial expression and reaction to his bet as he keeps stacking his chips for a raise. If he sees no reaction, he takes it back and just calls. It really works for him, granted it's annoying as hell to us.

[johnp158]

I know I'm not the expert on this, but it doesn't sound like anybody else is either. A couple of people seem to be under the impression that as long as you announce "raise," you can keep going back to your stack. That can't be right. It seems like the question comes from the fact that he is still in the process of stacking what's left in his hand when he says he wants to add another 25. I would lean toward thinking that it is a string bet, but by no means am I sure.

[Talking Poker]

Wow. This thread really is all over the place, with lots of misinformation.

I won't say I'm an "expert" on this, but I do think a string bet is pretty easy to spot, and the definition is easy to understand, so maybe I am.

I'll address the original question first, highlighting the important parts:

This is not a string bet. Why? Because he only moved chips from his stack to the pot once, and when he realized he didn't have enough chips in his hand, he announced how many more he was going to get. This was all one action. He was effectively counting out $100 in chips, but didn't have enough in his hand. When he realized this, he announced his bet. He should have said, "Make it $100," but this "$25 more" crap accomplishes the same thing - it just looks fishy.

Now a few other scenarios for comparison:

1. He could have also counted out $50 chips, and then pulled the remaining $25 back to his stack, so long as he never released them. If he dropped them though, they would have to stay in the pot.

2. Had he said "Raise to $100" right off the bat, he could have put them out one at a time if he wanted, but his bet would be $100. This is why you should always state the amount of your bet. It makes things much easier.

3. Had he let go of that third stack of chips and THEN either said "and $25 more" or grabbed 5 more $5 chips and moved them into the pot, THAT would be a string bet.

4. Now, had he counted out his chips where he should have, next to his stack and not in the pot, he would be allowed to make as many trips to and from his stack as he wanted. He could count out the three stacks and then go back for a 4th, and then shove all 4 into the pot at once without even saying a word. The key here is that everything needs to go into the pot in once action.

See the differences?

[Zybomb]

So I am right in thinking that the reason this would not be a string bet was because his hand was still on the last of the stacks (kind of like holding your hand on a chess piece after moving it doesn't constitute a move) and then announced an amount, but if he had released his hand before saying anything then it'd be a string?

[Talking Poker]

That is my understanding of it, yes. What he did is certainly not the preferred method of raising, and if he did it repeatedly, he would probably be asked to start stating his raise amounts. But it's not a string bet.

And I agree with your response to Robbie... Once you state that you are raising AND declare the amount of your bet (or the raise, of course), then you may make as many motions as you like. But you most definitely can't say "Raise," and then make a min raise, look around the table, throw a few more chips in, look around the table, throw a few more chips in, watch the player behind you fold, throw a few more chips in, watch the guy behind him fold, throw a few more in, watch the guy behind him "call" and then and only then stop string betting.

State the amount or move your chips into the pot in one motion. Simple as that.

[bunny]

That's what I was referring to in my post.

If your min raise isn't met, and you had announced a "Raise", you are allowed to go back to your chip stack until that min raise is met.(Dealer will motion you to do so). If you met you're min raise requirement and removed your hand from the pot in front of you, then you may not go back to get more chips to add to it. The dealer will disallow that.

[Zybomb]

If you dont raise the minimum and let go, the dealer will instruct you that you need X more dollars to raise...and your raise becomes a min. raise, you can not make it bigger

[Talking Poker]

The dealer will not "allow" you to go back to your stack to complete your minimum raise - the dealer will "make" you go back to your stack to complete your minimum raise.

If you lead out for $100 and I say "raise" and put $101 in the pot, he will MAKE me put $99 more into the pot, because that's the minimum raise.

[Zybomb]

Here's my problem with this then.

What's stopping me from saying "raise" (say of a $50 dollar bet) Putting in 20, 5 dollar chips and keeping my hand on them, looking around the table to get a read, then either keeping it a min bet, or announce a larger raise

[bunny]

You'd have the legal right to do that. Unless it really annoys the other players and they complain and then the management tells you to refrain from doing so.

[Talking Poker]

Nothing. That's legal. Annoying, but legal. After this happens once or twice (I would imagine once), the player will usually be instructed to count out his chips next to his cards (not in the pot) or to announce the size of his bet before moving chips into the pot.

*Some casinos use a "line" (and actual oval drawn on the table in front of all the players) to avoid this sort of problem. Once a chip crosses the line, it can not go back to your stack. If you reach out with your entire stack in your hand and drop off two $5 chips to call a $10 bet, they will say that your entire stack must stay in the middle. That's your bet. This is the exception and not the rule, and it's stupid IMO. That's why I didn't bring it up until now. But there are some places like this.

[Talking Poker]

How would the dealer know the "right amount" of chips? You must be talking about a limit game, when there is no such thing as a string bet. Once you say raise, everyone knows the exact amount of your raise, so you can make multiple trips putting it in.

As for your friend, again, this sounds like it must be a limit game. I wouldn't tolerate it if I was the dealer or floorperson, but technically what he is doing is ok. He hasn't announced raise, and he's simply doing a "bad job" of stacking out his call. He fumbles around with his chips and then either pulls some back or leaves them there. But again, this only "works" because you are talking about a limit game. And..... if it's $2 to call, the second he releases $4 from his hand, that should be a raise. You can't drop 4 chips and then pick 2 back up. You can have 10 in your hand and drop 2 and then drop two more on top of them or next to them, but as soon as you do, they need to stay in the pot. You can't pick them back up again.

[Talking Poker]

There. All cleaned up.

[bunny]

Not fair! That was a trick question. LOL

Good job maestro.

[eejit101]

it aint a string bet.