Beat the Clock

There are people who will spend hours staring into the mirror, working on their poker face and trying to figure out ways to fake people out with their expressions or a subtle raise of the eyebrow. While having a really good and versatile poker face is just one more tool in the kit, there are plenty of messages that can be sent without having to learn the art of face acting. The clock is something that can be used to send out any signal you want about your hand.Let's say that you are dealt a pair of sixes and are the first person to act after the blinds. By immediately calling the Big Blind you have sent the message that you have confidence in your cards. Now we all know that a pair of sixes isn't exactly the sort of hole cards you are going to bet your last kidney on, but the fact that there was no hesitation in your bet will give some players at the table pause.For the sake of argument let us assume that the flop was an A/3/9. Let us also assume that the big and small blinds folded before the flop, leaving you as the first player to act. In this circumstance you would once again bet with sort of speed that conveys enthusiasm.Your actions have sent out a false positive. Not only have you acted quickly, but you have acted with speed while betting out of position. If an opponent is trying to put you on a hand, they very well may interpret your quick pre-flop betting along with your fast and risky out of position betting after the flop as a sign of strength. They may combine your actions with the overcard on the board and come to the conclusion that you started off with a pair of Aces, and then flopped a powerful three-of-a-kind.With only two cards left, and your competition thinking you have a triplet of Aces, unless they have some impressive cards themselves, their best move is to fold.Good Luck!