One reader this week thinks a player in his home game may be using an illegal betting motion, and another asks for advice on the best poker books to read. Let's try to help.

Q: In our home games, where most rules are followed, one player has a habit of holding a stack of chips in his hand. When he makes a call, he moves the chips to the center of the table and drops chips off the bottom to make the call, which can appear like he is raising. I always thought that once chips were moved to the pot, they stayed in the pot. — Gordon M. in Kankakee, Ill.

A: I've seen this betting motion many times, Gordon, but can't remember a dealer ever telling a player to stop doing it or forcing him to put in a raise when he only intended to call. That doesn't mean it's a legal move, however.

To clarify any rule on this, I turned to my tournament traveling partner, Scott Reed, a former professional poker dealer. Here's his explanation:

Many players hate to say anything during a hand, even the words "call" or "raise," for fear of giving something away about the strength or weakness of their cards. On a bluff, for example, their voice might crack or sound weak, enticing opponents to stay in.

Some players develop the habit of holding enough chips in their hand to either call or raise, without saying anything, when they put chips into the pot. Another key factor is that because they always have raising chips in their hand, they're unlikely to commit an illegal "string bet."

A string bet happens when a player goes back to his stacks to get raising chips after making or calling the original bet. You're not allowed to do that unless you say, "Raise," first.

In this case, it sounds as if your opponent's betting style is just a habit, and I don't think any poker room would see it as a big deal. As a dealer, I wouldn't say anything about it if he does it all the time.

However, if I saw a player bet that way once in a while, then I'd be suspicious and think he's trying to get a read on whether opponents acting behind him intend to fold or play their hands.

For example, if a player's betting motion provoked the next player to fold because it looked like a raise was coming, I'd say something.

Or, if a bettor looked like he was calling but then also put in raising chips when he saw somebody about to fold, I probably would caution him.

Also, the chips-in-the-pot rule you mentioned isn't always enforced. There are times when a player intending to call inadvertently puts too many chips in the pot. Those extra chips are returned — unless, of course, the extra amount equals 50 percent or more of a legitimate raise, in which case the player is required to make at least a minimum raise.

Be careful with your chips!

Q: In a recent article, you mentioned reading good poker books as a way for beginning players to improve. There are so many Texas hold 'em books out there. Can you suggest a couple of the best for intermediate-to-advanced players? And what's your pick for a beginner's book on the game of Omaha? — Doug D. in Davenport, Iowa.

A: My all-time favorite hold 'em strategy book is "Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players" by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth. This old classic has been updated with 100 more pages of new material, including how to deal with loose games and short-handed play. If you only buy one hold 'em book, Doug, make it this one.

Much more recently, I enjoyed "Harrington on Hold 'em" by Dan Harrington. There are lots of good hand examples and discussions in both volumes, making it one of the hottest poker books available.

I also think you'd benefit from reading "Internet Texas Hold 'em" by Matthew Hilger. It has plenty of helpful information that is very well presented. I bought it because I started playing online, but most of the book is relevant to live play, as well.

Books on Omaha — good or bad — are a lot harder to come by. I'm currently reading Sam Farha's book, "Farha on Omaha," but it's off to a slow start for me.

The best of the few new Omaha books probably is "Winning Omaha-8 Poker" by Mark Tanner and Lou Krieger. It's touted as being aimed at beginners, and I found several favorable reviews online.

Good reading, and good luck!

E-mail your poker questions and comments to russ@luckydogpoker.com for use in future columns. To find out more about Russ Scott and read previous LuckyDog Poker columns, visit www.creators.com or www.luckydogpoker.com.

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