NLHE betting patterns in Parisian card rooms

Many poker players visit France each year for business, pleasure or both. Inevitably, they are drawn to the Parisian “Cercles de Jeux”, the only places where you can legally play Poker in Paris. The Aviation Club de France comes to mind, of course, but other places are now regularly visited: Haussmann, Gaillon, Wagram and so on…



One common thing that most foreign professional poker players say when they first visit a Cercle de Jeux is how amazed they are at the softness of the games They are indeed quite juicy, even though they’ve gotten definitely tougher in the past year (still definitely beatable though). Even regulars are known for playing very weird. Most of the French live players love to be tricky, and they can be hard to read sometimes, especially for someone who is used to the straightforward, mathematical betting patterns of online poker.

Although I am not a regular in these games, I do occasionally play in them and know and talk to a lot of the good regulars. Here are a couple of patterns that you are likely to see if you venture in a Parisian cardroom that may differ from what you know “back home”, whether it’s in Vegas, online or pretty much anywhere else on the planet.


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Preflop

In general, forget what you have learned or seen online about preflop raises. A standard raise in a 5/5 game is 40, 24 in a 2/4 game. Try raising to 3bb/4bb and see if it achieves anything!

3-betting is quite rare in these games and is only used either by the biggest fish (who have no idea that it’s not good to 3-bet AJo from the big blind with a very deep stack) or the best local players who are looking to isolate. You will rarely see the typical 3-bet on the button that has become common in online games. Also, a 3-bet usually means a pocket pair, but it can be anything from 22 to AA.

Overbetting

Overbetting is very common, almost overused, especially in the early parts of a hand. In a 5/5 game, it’s very common to see an opening raise to 40, 50 or even 80 preflop. The regular thinking line behind this is “the more they bet, the less they want to see a flop”. A very common preflop overbet is made with small pocket pairs from 33 to 88, which are commonly overplayed.

Overbetting on the flop is also extremely common. Once the flop is out, forget about sizing your bets relative to the size of the pot! Bets of 150 into a pot of 50 are standard. This comes from the “fear of being outdrawn” and is almost always a made hand.

A river overbet following very little action usually means a very strong hand that was badly slowplayed (or occasionally a pure bluff).


Underbetting & Blocking bets

Lately it seems like a lot of players have discovered the blocking bet and they are using and abusing it in all kinds of situations. Do not hesitate to raise these bets on the river if you feel you have the best hand. Most people have a hard time letting go.

Betting the same amount on the flop and the turn

For example, a typical player raises preflop and then bets 60 on the flop, and 60 again on the turn. This usually means top pair with an average or weak kicker who does not want to give a free card, but at the same time is not sure whether or not he has the best hand.

Light calling

If you have a history of bluffing, be prepared to get looked up very lightly. Some players just hate to be bluffed and turn the game into an ego war. Look for spots for light value bets against the right players and you’ll be astonished by what they look you up with.

River raises

There is very little raising (either for value or as a bluff) on the river and it’s usually interpreted as a big hand.

Traps

French players love to trap. Be very wary of river overbets if it's been checked around for most of the hand.

Chasing

Some players will never let go of any draw and will often try to steal on the river if they miss. Some even consider "two overcards" as a draw.

Bluffing

The continuation bet is not very common. Typically whoever misses the flop checks and tries to get a free card in order to improve. There is a lot of bluffing on the river. Some players will bet very strongly into a big pot in order to steal it, particularly with missed draws types of hands. It will rarely happen in the early parts of a hand. However, there isn’t so much semi-bluffing going on, as most people prefer to check/call with draws or take free cards.


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There you are. I hope these tips will help a few fellow online players in their Parisian adventure!