Hold’em is a thinking man’s game, and more than anything else, a player’s betting strategy is the real litmus test of whether he’s running on all eight cylinders. Of course, the problem with most players going into a hand is, they have tons of ideas on how to bet the pre-Flop, but no clue how to manage the rest of the round. This is about as intelligent as knowing how to tie your shoes without knowing how to walk. And, just as you’d expect, folks who play this way normally fall flat on their cute, little tushies. Post-Flop betting strategy is actually the meat of every successful Hold'em game plan. And to make sure it’s also part of yours we’ve compiled a healthy list of hints and tips that could make even the biggest tard seem like Einstein:

Post-Flop Betting

The Flop is mucho importante because it gives you a good understanding of your cards before you have to start considering endgames. After the Flop, you’ve seen five-sevenths of your total hand and will finally have a chance to size up your opponents. What a player does after the Flop is your biggest indicator of what he’s holding: If he has a strong hand, he’s got a smorgasbord of choices; if he doesn’t—and he’s smart—he’s got one-way ticket to folding.

Once the Flop comes, take the new information and add it to what you already know. No doubt, this can seem mind-boggling to consider, but really there are just two things you need to ask yourself:

• Do I have the best possible cards?

• If not, is the betting lite enough that I can improve my hand on the Turn or the River?

If you answer "yes" to either of these two questions, here are some strategies to consider going into the Turn:

Overcards: If your highest card is a queen and you see a king on the board, your chances of winning the hand are slim; fold without giving it a second thought. Even if the flop gives you a high pair, always beware of a higher pocket pair.

Holding Two Aces and You Don’t Get a Good Flop: The biggest mistake a player can make post-Flop is to not let go of a good pocket set. If there’s a possible flush or straight on the board, don’t hold onto the dream. Get out while you still can.

Weak Kickers: A weak kicker can be an Achilles heel even if you make two pair. You can bet just to check out the competition. But, if things get too fierce at the Turn, CUT-AND-RUN!

Two Pair: People tend to get overexcited by this hand. Sure, you only need another card to have a full house. But, if you don’t get it, you’ll end up with the second-weakest hand in the game, while your bankroll's committed to a round you’ll probably lose. An even worse mistake than playing this hand, though, is slow playing it. Two pair can be OK but only if you field it against a short-handed table - and betting big to knock out as many people as you can is the only surefire way to make that happen.

Middle Pairs: Go ahead and bet on a middle pair if you’re in a late position and no one else has bet. At the first sign of a raise, though, fold. Remember: Discretion is the better part of valor, always.

Finding the Nuts: If you find yourself with an unbeatable hand on the Flop, slow play it. After all, there’s really no point in scaring people away. And if you can keep your tells under wraps, you’re likely to pull out a major win.

Overpairs: If the highest card on the table is a Jack and you have two Queens, feel free to start betting so you can knock people out of the hand. Also, try check raising and re-raising in this situation if you want to let the other players know you mean business.

Future Improvement: If you find yourself still holding out after the Flop, you really need to start soul searching. Consider your out and pot odds and ask yourself if the overhead of staying till the River is worth going to the wall over, say, a straight. Normally, it isn’t, and if you find yourself with bad pot-to-out odds, you should probably consider folding.

Numbers: In Hold’em, the number of players at a table means everything. If the table’s still long-handed and your best possible hand is a mid-ranger, you can safely assume somebody’s packing a wallop—meaning you should fold. However, if the table’s short-handed, the same hand could easily win in a showdown. In this case, check raise your remaining opponents and feel them out. If they’re just as unsure as you, re-raise and see if you can knock them out before the Turn.

High Pairs: If you’re holding steady at the Flop, you’ll want to eliminate your opponents from the hand. The order of the day, then, is bet - and bet BIG!

Drawing Hands: If you have four to the flush or straight, you’ll want others to stay in the hand so they can maximize your possible winnings. Slow play this one out, calling any raisers, but otherwise, playing it cool.

Hitting a Set: This is a great hand—especially in online Hold’em because no one ever expects it. If there is a chance of a flush or straight draw, bet big to knock out the players looking for it. If you’ve got three- as opposed to four-of-a-kind, you can hold out for the full house or set with as few worries as possible because, even if you don’t draw it, you’re still sitting on a relatively solid hand.

-Jim Abrahamsson

Related pages

Users comments