It is a must that you know how to size your bets right. Failure to know how could sometimes ruin everything, your hope and chances of becoming a winning poker player. Well, it is actually tough to ascertain the size of the bet you are going to place in a certain betting round. Sizing of bets is somehow confusing and you have to consider a lot of things. But according to the pros, this job can be made easier by knowing your reason/s why you are betting. Are you betting because you just want to make others call? Or you want to make others fold?
So Others Will Call
In in case you will be betting to make others call, then you should place a value bet. But it is a bit dangerous to place a value bet when your reason for betting is you want others to call. Before placing a value bet, it is best to know your opponents first. Know their prevailing disposition or inclination for calling. Get to know the kind of bets they typically call. Everything is a matter of getting knowledge and information about their tendencies.
So Others Will Fold
If you are betting because you want others to fold then be it. Such reason is the most acceptable reason. But what do you think should be the size of your bet if this is your reason?
Cited in some poker books, when one wants to bet to make others fold, then bet should be as little as possible. This makes sense, considering this may get the job done. But you must be careful in placing little bets as you may look like a fish to others. It is important that you get a feel what kind of players you are up against with.
The turn and the river are considered the deciding phases in every poker game. You can either make it or break it in either of these two. Thus, it is very important that you do good and make most out of these phases.
At the turn, if you like an out and have drawing hands, you must raise bets as this increases the cost of staying in the hand. But you must raise constantly to make pot odds less pleasing for your opponents which eventually would make them fold.
However, after the turn, try to check out the situation and your hand. Check if it is still worth to stay in the game with the kind of hand you have. If in case you have marginal hand and seems like it didn’t improve at the turn, then maybe it’s time to stop. Although you would be losing your bets, you would be able to save yourself some money.
On the other hand, at the river, you must be very careful. Players who reach this phase normally have big drawing cards or very good cards.
If you have a marginal hand at the river, it’s better for you to just fold before showdown. However if you want to make some bluffs and are hoping to trap some players with a monster hand, then you must check and call.
And if you have great cards, more or less would be the situation as you are at the river, you can try milking the pot. But you must be sure you have unbeatable set of cards. If in case you have, you can make raises until your opponents call the bets you have made. If being aggressive won’t work, consider the idea that your opponents might have better cards or believe that you’re just bluffing out on them.
If you know how to calculate your outs, you can easily play Texas Holdem. An out is basically any unseen card which if drawn, will improve a hand of a player who is likely to win. Indeed, knowing the number of outs a player has would be a big advantage.
Nonetheless, by calculating your outs which will tell you what cards you need to win and eventually adding some basic probability, you will get an idea when to fold and when to stay in and continue playing.
Calculating your outs is not that complicated. First, you just have to remember that there are fifty-two cards in the deck and then you need to count how many cards you actually see. Say for example, you are into a Texas Holdem game and you see the two cards in your hand and the cards in the flop, turn, or river. Then for example you see a total of six cards, you then should just subtract that amount from fifty two. You will then of course get forty six which would be the number of cards you have not seen.
Then after knowing the number of cards you have not seen, you should figure out what your potential winning hands are, what cards will make these hands, and most importantly how many more opportunities or chances you have to get them.
After learning how to calculate your outs, you should expect you having a better sense of your chances and you having greater chances of beating the game. But of course the challenge would not end in you being able to finally calculate your outs. Nonetheless, you don’t only need to know how you would be able to calculate your outs, but you should be able to know how you would be able calculate your outs right.
Hi,
I’ve been playing Poker for more or less 4 months now, mainly I play No Limit. Just this morning I participated in a 2/4 game. I must admit I barely had enough to buy in then.
At some point, I remember I was dealt 83os in late position. I thought of playing it till the end however I considered the players present, they raise preflop most of the time. To make the long story short, flop came but didn’t grant me the top pair. Turn and river followed and were actually 8′s. Unfortunately I missed my 4 of a kind. Highest hand of the day was payed out $1000 and I was really mad and upset.
Do you think I made the right call? How about my buy in which was in minimum, am I just right about it?
Please I need your advice.
Thank you in advance.
Best regards,
Matthew
Matthew,
8-3 offsuit in late position is the same action as any other position, fold. If you can play it in the big blind to no raise, then play it. Otherwise fold. By the way, you didn’t have four of a king, you would have had trip 8’s.
Personally, if you only have enough money to make a minimum buy-in, you shouldn’t play. You don’t have enough money to stand any downswings early on. Come back another time when you have more money to commit. That’s my view.
Hello,
You once said that it’s hard to play with pocket queens and jacks. Well, I agree with you on that but I believe it’s even harder to play pocket 9s. Such hand has become overrated in Low Limit games. In heads up play it’s actually a good hand but not in Low Limit. Not to mention that it ranked as a top 20 and often top 15 starting hand.
When you flop a set during the 12% of the time you suppose to have a great chance of winning big however the problem is, I find it hard to let it go most especially when there’s only one overcard on the flop. On the better side, if the board comes with an Ace I can dump it easily as I know nobody folds an Ace in Low Limit, however when the board comes Q 7 2 or J 8 5, I find it hard to let it go again. Later part, I just end up losing although normally just a small one.
Now, do you think pocket 9s should be treated essentially the same as pocket 2-6? Basically if you don’t flop a set, check or fold the hand? Another thing, with 9s, does position matter significantly?
Hope to hear from you in no time.
Many thanks,
Andrew
Andrew,
Position matters with all hands. 9’s are a raising hand in late position. Personally, unless there are multiple overcards or I am against an opponent that I know flopped an overpair, I am going to probably call down to the river when only single bets are fired. Usually it is wrong to let go of a pair such as that when there is a lot of bets in the pot. Of course if there is only a bet or two in the pot, Ill probably let go of nines if there is even one overcard on the board since the pot isn’t laying the odds to call.
Hello,
I was in a Pot Limit Holdem online the other day. Blinds then were $0.5/$1 and bets were $1/$2. At first, I was just observing but later I joined other players. Another guy joined in after me.
At certain point, I was dealt a pair of two’s and was UTG. I checked and then decided to fold in case someone raise. Following player placed $1 bet, everyone else called or checked. Then I raised to $10. Two others folded and everyone else then called, flop came and brought 2 5 T rainbow. Small and big blind then folded while I raised to $90. Four players then folded. Suddenly, three callers appeared. At such point, pot was $450. Turn came and brought Ad. I stopped for a while to think and then just decided to once again raise the bet to the size of the pot, $450. Two players folded while I called. River came and brought 7h. Once again I placed a bet while last player called. In the end, I won with a set.
Well, I know I should be happy but I don’t understand my feelings and my thinking. Why players back then are fond of calling? Maybe the reason has something to do with the time I joined the table, I joined quite late.
Any thoughts?
Best regards,
Zowe
Zowe,
Chances are players were overvaluing their pair’s. Also, it may have had something to do with the lateness of the day. Sometimes players will chase their losses later in the day and will call bets that they shouldn’t. You played the hand well. The only way you were losing is if someone had a pocket pair that connected with that board or if someone had 3-4. You would have been raised if either were the case. Nice hand sir.
Hello,
I played poker yesterday. Early position, I had AK off suit and then raised it preflop. No raises appeared but for the flop 4 players stayed. Flop came but not that significant, 10-9-3 rainbow. At such point I had 25% chance for a top pair top kicker by the river. However I was not sure then if possible top pair top kicker can make it till the end.
After a while, bet appeared right in front of me. I then had to choose whether I’ll call, raise or fold. Well, I can call however I can only obtain additional infos about player’s hand if somebody else raises. Folding was the worst choice then as I only have a 25% chance to win and so I just raised. Two players then folded and opener called my bet. Table then was up for a heads up play.
Later, he didn’t raise pre-flop and didn’t raise me back after the flop. I then I figured out it was impossible he had flopped a set. He might be holding then either a 10 or a 9, probably with a bad kicker but not necessarily.
Turn came and I had K. He then checked and then called my bet. Well, he doesn’t have K 9 and so I won with a pair of Kings. He had pair of Tens with crap kicker.
Do you believe that raising pre and or post flop when it is cheap can really give you lots of information about other people’s hands?
Thank you in advance.
Best regards,
Lowell
Lowell,
Raising in your situation can give you information on your opponents hand. Like you, when he didn’t reraise, I would have put him on a pair. Personally, I would have bet out on the flop since I was the preflop raiser. The player with the pair of tens would have probably only called the bet thinking that you may have an overpair.
Hi,
Well, I do understand that a good poker player must actually adapt the tactics employed in every game but also must consider table conditions. But the problem is, I’m just new to the game and still find it hard to adapt my playing style. In case I have good pocket cards, I raise aggressively in pot limit. And about maniacs, well, I find them helpful as they usually give me right good hiding.
As of now, I believe my problem is more on about my getting burned on the river. I tried to increase the amount of times I fold but I notice I have to play less than 1 hand in 10 to the river Please help me. I badly need your advice.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Thanks a lot.
Warm regards,
Johenn
Johenn,
Without seeing what hands you are losing with, it is hard to determine where your problem lies, or if there is even a problem at all. If you are talking about players that are catching 4 outers or less on the river to outdraw your sets or your big pairs, that is a normal part of the game. If you are talking about chasing down someone with A-K and them catching a hand at the end, that’s another story.
If you have a good reason to fold at the river or before, then by mean go by your reads, but don’t fold because you’re afraid someone is going to suck out on you. Suckouts are a part of poker and will happen when you play solid poker. Don’t let fear make your decisions.
Hi,
I’m here to ask something. Well, normally in fixed limit games, depending on position I call but I see to it there’s no raise particularly if it’s quite a tight game. And if in case I hit on the flop I call them down, if not it’s check or fold time.
I have this approach but I am not sure if it’s sensible. In pot limit I should be careful not to overestimate what I have, and not get committed easily. In no limit, I should only play whenever there are many other callers preflop. What do you think?
Thanks in advance.
All the best,
Dustin
Dustin,
In Limit, if you hit the flop or flop a draw, you should tend to stay until the end as you usually have odds to stay.
In Pot Limit and No Limit you need to develop a tight aggressive strategy based on hand selection and position. Playing when there is only multiple players in the pot is not an optimum way to play all holdem pots you enter. You need to approach the other Holdem games differently than Limit Holdem. It sounds like you are approaching them like Limit Holdem.
Hi,
For several times, I heard that it’s actually better to be on the button or in late position and that one should play tight earlier and then later part play loose. On the flip side, it seems to be different in some tournaments featured on television, it’s playing loose earlier.
Well for me the only way to win is to play loose, then bet big and do some scaring works to some players. In case I’m holding J8 and flop is AQ8 or even Q 10 7, I think the only way for my hand to win is to bet big. I believe this will make players not on Ace fold.
On a sided note, if one were to play tight in early position, player on button or in late position might bet big and so I will be forced to fold. What do you think?
Regards,
Jet
Jet,
You have it backwards, play tight in early position and looser in later position. Doing otherwise will be a long term loser. Don’t pay attention to what you see on TV. TV poker is heavily edited and they only show the entertaining hands or the significant hands.
