Toward A Basic Strategy For
Low Limit No Limit Hold Em:
Playing the Flop: Part I

BY: Ashley Adams
Contact at: (Asha34@aol.com)
Author of Winning 7-Card Stud

This is admittedly a bit of a ramble through my many thoughts on flop play. There are so many variables on the flop that a basic low limit no limit strategy is hard to establish. Much depends on your read of your opponent and your read of his read of you. Even so, for the purposes of guiding the new and low limit player correctly, I think it's helpful to provide at least an outline of general principles to start with. Later, I'll explain how to adjust this very primitive strategy to optimize your strategy. But for starters, let's look at a suboptimal basic strategy, meant to minimize risk - if also minimizing profit.

A few general rules of thumb are in order.

You must think about what hands the flop was likely to make for your opponents.

Sometimes this is easy. If the flop is all the same suit and someone in front of you bets, you can assume that he either made a flush or a flush draw. You may be wrong. He may be bluffing. But poker is a game of probability, not certainty. Until you have an excellent read give your opponent credit for having the hand he is representing.

Similarly, if the flop has two cards of the same rank and someone bets into you, assume they have the Trips or even the full house. Again, it's certainly possible that your opponent is just taking advantage of a scary flop and bluffing. But you can't take the chance, at this level and with a minimal bankroll, that your intuition is wrong. Players do not often bluff in front of potential action, fearing you may have the hand that they are representing. So respect the bet in front of you when the flop is scary.

Play your draws cheaply.

Let's say the flop gives you a Flush draw and no pair. Your opponent checks in front of you. Yes, I know it is tempting to bet that pot as a semi-bluff - hoping that your opponent will fold or, as a backup plan, that you'll hit your flush on the turn. But don't do that - not yet. Wait until you have some experience under your belt. Check behind them if you have nothing but the Flush draw. 80% of the time or so you won't hit that flush. You'll make more money at this level by letting your opponent bluff you on the turn when the flush card hits and he only has a pair or something and you've made your flush. Wait until you know enough about the game and your opponent to get a read of weakness or power, and then you can act accordingly.

Similarly, don't bluff just because no one bets before you.

Late position adds value to your hand, but don't over do it. Be aggressive with excellent hands in early position because your opponents are apt to call with weak hands that they overvalue. But don't' bet in late position just because you can.

In general, don't call bets in front of you without strong hands or very strong draws.

You don't need the nuts or the draw to the nuts to bet with players behind you. The combination of the chance that you have the best hand, you will improve to the best hand, or they will fold because of your bet is often enough to justify a bet if you are first and the flop has hit you at least in part. But you need stronger hands to call large bets made in front of you or if your initial bet is raised. Think about what hand your opponent is likely to have based on what the flop is and how he bet. Respect bets and raises both before you and after you. In general, don't slow play or go for check raises. You want to bet your hand directly, not getting tricky, because many of your opponents at this level will call you even when you have a monster and they are far behind. They will not know enough or be smart enough to consider the cost of drawing their hand in a no limit game. They will often take the worst of it without your tricky plays. So bet for value when you have a strong hand.

Take your stack size and your opponent's stack size into consideration before you decide how you'll play your hand.

A call from you makes much more sense if you are short-stacked and stand to win a large pot if you call and you won't have to risk any more chips because you'll be all in. On the other hand, if it's the flop, you and your opponent have a large stack, and there is a pot sized bet to you and you the same odds, the call is much less attractive. Similarly, if your call can end the betting and there is still a lot of money left to be won on the next card if it hits you, if your opponent makes a small bet then it may make sense for you to call. The implied odds of winning a very large pot if you hit your hand, for a relatively small cost of calling, may make calling a good move. While, on the other hand, if you have a very short stack, will be all in with your call, and will only win a relatively small pot even if you hit your hand, then the call may not make sense because of the very poor implied odds.

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