An Example of Great Bet Reading

My wife, Claire, is getting better at poker all the time. I'm quite proud of her. During our recent trip to Vegas, she managed to save our family bank account all by herself. :) One skill she's developed is how to read into a player's bet history on a hand to deduce what your opponent does NOT have. Here's an example:

Excalibur 1/3 No Limit $200 Max Buy-in Table

Claire is in Seat 5. She is Big Blind for $3. She is dealt Ad 9s.
Seat 7 limps in for $3.
Seat 8 limps in for $3
Seat 3 (Dealer) limps in for $3
Seat 4 (Small Blind) limps in for $3.
Claire checks her $3 Big Blind.
There is $18 in the pot.
Flop: As Jc Qd
Seat 4 (Small Blind) checks.
Claire bets $20.
Seat 7 fold.
Seat 8 raises to $60.
Seat 3 folds.
Seat 4 folds.
[Deduction: The flop is rainbow, so there is no flush possible at this point. There is a straight possible only if Seat 8 is holding KT. Since Seat 8 did not raise pre-flop, Claire cannot put Seat 8 on two pair since that would mean Seat 8 had AQ, AJ, or QJ. Limping with KT is possible, but based on previous play, Claire classifies him as aggressive and he would have probably raised with KT as well. Plus, most people that flop a nut straight don't want to scare away the action, so they'll most likely just smooth call and let the other player bet into them again on the turn. Of course, it is highly unlikely that Seat 8 has AA, QQ, or JJ, again, because of the lack of a pre-flop raise. He might just have a pair of Aces as well and might be trying to scare Claire off.]
Claire calls the $40 raise.
There is $138 in the pot.
Turn: 6c
Claire checks.
Seat 8 bets $80.
[Deduction: The 6c really did nothing to the board. Unless Seat 8 was holding A6 (a possibility), the 6 card was meaningless, and if Claire thought she was winning on the flop, she's still got to think she's winning on the turn. If Seat 8 really did have KT, he might have not made that raise on the flop, or been so aggressive on the turn. This $80 bet clearly doesn't want a caller. He cannot have KT. He could have backed into a set of 6's on the turn, but this is unlikely because he would have not re-raised on the flop with an A, Q and J on the board and someone betting into him. If he does have an A, it cannot be AQ, AJ, or AK because he didn't raise pre-flop. He might have AT, and be betting his Ace with a straight draw, but his aggressiveness would lead Claire to believe that he would have raised pre-flop with AT as well. He might have a weak Ace, A6 for two pair, or just be completely bluffing.]
Claire calls $80.
There is $298 in the pot.
River: Td
Claire checks.
Seat 8 bets $100.
[Deduction: The T river card is a scary card, but Seat 8 really cannot have a King. If he had a K with a bad kicker and was waiting for the T, he would have checked behind Claire on the Turn and/or River in order to get a free or cheap draw to the straight. He would not have been putting money into a 4-outer straight draw. We've already deduced he cannot have two pair because they are all high cards... with the exception of holding a two pair with A6. The pot is too big to be scared of him holding A6 by some chance. He's likely on a bluff, on a weaker Ace than A9 (which would split the pot,) or on a smaller pair.]
Claire calls $100.
The pot is at $498.
Claire shows Ad As Jc Qd Td: Pair of Aces
Seat 8 shows 6s 6c As Jc Qd: Pair of 6's
Claire wins $498!