What is a probe bet?

A probe bet has no connection with alien visitors or uncomfortable medical procedures. It actually relates to making a bet as a form of poker reconnaissance.

A bet of discovery

A probe bet is normally a small bet that is made to test the waters and see the reactions of your opponents to it. By making this bet you are trying to determine if the other players are serious about staying in the hand or not.

Weak players, or those holding weak hands, will normally fold with a probe bet. If someone raises you, then you can guess that they may have something strong. However, a call could mean that they are drawing to a good hand.

Its not cheap

Probe bets cost money and so following this strategy through repeatedly is going to deplete your chip stack. It is far more cost effective to pay attention to what your opponents are doing and, through observation, determine their strength or weakness based on their actions.

In addition, if you continually make probe bets, it wont be long before your opponents figure out what you are up to and start exploiting them to their own advantage.