Counting the pot

[ChrisRock]

Anyone have any shortcuts or ways to count the pot without adding up every players bets, calls, and raises each time? I know to be exact you have to do that, but I find it hard to keep up with the rest of the action at the table if I'm focused on adding up the pot.

[psandman]

Well if you don't want to actually add I don't really don't know what to tell you.

You don't have to add each bet as it is made. Count them as they are brought in.

5 players all call for $10 -- is $50.If a player bets and then folds to raise, when he folds the dealer brings in his original bet -- add that to your total.

[Barry]

If counting 1,2,3,4... keeps you from tracking the action, you have more serious problems to deal with.

Having said that PF, just look at the # of persons with cards and remember how many bets. Then multiply. Then there is the time honored method; look at the chips in the pot, if there's a bunch, call. If just a few, fold.

[ChrisRock]

Multiplying as chips are brought in is easy enough, but thats only if someone bets, and everyone calls. The situation I'm talking about is more of a seat 1 bets, 2 calls, 3 raises, 4 calls, 5 folds, 6 reraises, 7 folds, 8 calls, 9 folds, 1 folds, 2 folds, seat 3 calls, etc. Some dealers will burn and turn first, then bring the money in. If seat 3 yells pot, I'm stuck fumbling wondering where the pot is.

[psandman]

[ QUOTE ]
Multiplying as chips are brought in is easy enough, but thats only if someone bets, and everyone calls. The situation I'm talking about is more of a seat 1 bets, 2 calls, 3 raises, 4 calls, 5 folds, 6 reraises, 7 folds, 8 calls, 9 folds, 1 folds, 2 folds, seat 3 calls, etc. Some dealers will burn and turn first, then bring the money in. If seat 3 yells pot, I'm stuck fumbling wondering where the pot is.

[/ QUOTE ]

First while some dealers may leave the called bets out until after they burn and turn, no dealer should be leaving the bets of the players who folded out until after they burn and turn. If this happens you just are going to have to add it up.

Second I understood your question to be gnerally about keep track of pot sizes.ince now you indicate you are playing Pot Limit there is a much simpler way -- simply ask the dealer how much is in the pot.

[ChrisRock]

You are right, the dealer will pull the money into the pot as it is folded and then scoop in the remaining players at the end. Asking the dealer is always an option, but I would like to be a little more on top of the situation myself. I've been amazed by dealers that can come back with the size of the bet when someone says I bet the pot, which does not necessarily have to be a pot limit game. A lot of players can do this as well. I'm just like everyone else...I did some higher level math in college, but still count to 20 with my fingers and toes. Just wondering if there are any number sense tricks to counting pots.

[psandman]

And of course you realize that the pot sized raise can be quickly calculated as (3 Times the last bet) + what was in the pot prior to the last bet (if you have money in towwarsd the current bet -- lets say you bet then got raised and now you want to reraise - do not count your initial bet as part of the pot size that gets factored in as part of the 3 X the last bet)

[Split Suit]

if im playin LO8 i keep track of how many BBs in the pot by makin a pile of chips near my left hand. so ppl dont realize what im doin, i shuffle these chips, and just add as necessary. it helps quite a bit if im not payyin attention to everything...

[ChrisRock]

[ QUOTE ]
if im playin LO8 i keep track of how many BBs in the pot by makin a pile of chips near my left hand. so ppl dont realize what im doin, i shuffle these chips, and just add as necessary. it helps quite a bit if im not payyin attention to everything...

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats not a bad idea...just hope you never get short stacked and run out of chips to count BBs.

[Wongboy]

I play mostly $4/$8 or $8/$16 limit and $1/$2 NL. Here's what works for me:

Limit - Brute force approach. I multiply the number of bets by the number of players to determine the pre-flop pot - Always counting by SB's. Add the blinds if necessary. Post-flop, I usually just add bets to my running total as they go in. Divide by 2 on the turn and switch to counting BB's. Round down to roughly approximate rake. This becomes second nature after a while.

One nice thing about limit is that it is somewhat rare for a player to call one bet and then fold to a raise on the same street. When it happens, it is fairly easy to adjust manually.

No Limit - I usually don't bother with tracking bets. I just look at the pot and count the chips. For some reason, this comes pretty easy.

If desired, you can train to approximate a pot size at home in your spare time. Just grab a handful of chips and drop them into a pile. Better yet, make several stacks and get used to what 20 chips looks like, or 30, or whatever. Approximate, count chips, evaluate how far off you were, and repeat. Think of it like practicing chip tricks, except that there actually is some tangible benefit to this exercise.