Toward A Basic Strategy For
Low Limit No Limit Hold Em:
Playing the Flop: Part III:
What To Do When It Isn't So Simple

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

There is still a large middle ground that needs to be clarified. What exactly does hitting your hand mean in these games? Sure, it's easy to give extreme examples of good hands. But exactly how good is good? And what part does position play?

In general, if I'm in early position (meaning there's a player or more than one player after me) for me to play the hand aggressively, I want to hit trips, two pair, or top pair with top kicker, or top pair with an overcard kicker. I want to hit the top end of a straight draw or a flush draw for me to call a significant bet. So, for example, if I am in early position with 66 and the flop doesn't have a 6 in it, then I'm not betting. I don't care if I make three to a straight flush. I'm not betting 66. And, if anyone bets, I'm folding.

Similarly if I hold Q-J suited and the flop doesn't give a pair of Jacks, I'm not going to bet that hand. And if the flop has an Ace or King in it, I'm not betting my Jacks. A Queen on the flop is a difficult hand, because while you make top pair, your kicker is weak - weaker than the kickers that any of my fairly tight opponents are likely to have. I may bet it if I think I'm against tight players or if I otherwise suspect that they aren't likely to be holding KQ or AQ (if they called pre-flop for example but they're the type of player who would have raised pre-flop with those hands). So yes, there are exceptions based on the type of opponent I'm against. There will always be those exceptions. But as a base line strategy, I'm not betting the hand with a pair of Queens and just a Jack kicker if there's someone after me.

If I'm in late position, if there's no bet to me, I'm more inclined to bet my premium pair, even without a good kicker. So if I called in late position with QJ and the flop was AJ, I'll bet that hand for the size of the pot. If I'm raised I'm done. If I'm called I'm wary. But more often than not, those early checks mean weakness and my large bet will take the pot for me.

Don't make the mistake of underbetting because you fear that your hand may be weak.

That's such an important point in these games that I'm going to tell you again.

Don't make the mistake of underbetting because you fear that your hand may be weak.

So, in the above example, don't make a small raise in late position with your AJ when an Ace hits and everyone checks. Similarly if you have a pair of 10s and an A96 flops, and it's checked to you in last position, you want to bet that hand aggressively - or not at all. Sure, you're nervous that someone is sitting on a weak Ace and is waiting to check raise you or just call you down. But you need to win those pots that have been checked when no one has an Ace. If you're really afraid of that Ace then you should just check. But don't make some small ass bet that invites people to call. Your small bet will be called and someone will beat you on the Turn or on the RIver. Don't do that. Bet strongly in late position or don't bet at all.

Many beginning players make the terrible mistake of demonstrating weakness while they are betting. They bet lower amounts when they are insecure. Maybe they think that they need to bet something if they made something. But, in fact, the opposite is true.

If you make a hand that is too weak to bet strongly then it is too weak to bet.

This is because your ability to win the pot depends fundamentally on two factors: the chances that you have the best hand when you bet and the chances that your opponent will fold when you bet. If your hand is weak then the chances that you have the best hand are lowered. So to win the pot you need to increase the amount that you bet to increase the chances that you will get your opponent to fold. If you gauge your chances of winning the pot based on your large bet to be insufficient to warrant such a bet then you need to check. To do otherwise is inviting disaster - as your opponents call with their mediocre hands or their drawing hands that either are or that become better than your hand - losing you the pot.

In fact, YOU should use it to your advantage when you play. If someone bets significantly less than the size of the pot, indicating weakness, you can call or even raise on the flop with many hands you would otherwise fold because you're getting excellent implied odds. So, for example, if you have a weak Ace in late position (let's say you started with Ace-8 diamonds or something), the flop is Ace Jack, 7 and someone in early position bets $5 into a $20 pot, go ahead and call that bet. Chances are they don't have a stronger Ace - or they would have bet it more strongly. Maybe they have a Jack. Maybe they are a really weak Ace - weaker than yours. It costs you little to take a chance and call. So if they're letting you in the door cheaply, accept the invitation. (But again, don't do this for a serious pot sized bet. They usually mean strength).

And yes, of course players sometimes do this to suck you in when they have a monster. You will have to gauge the chances of this based on your read of your opponents. But let's save that for a later day.

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