Hello,

I’m here to ask something about pot odds. Say you are playing in a full table, no limit cash game, with blinds of $0.50/$1.00. Then blinds post and three limpers appear. You check and you discover you have Ks Ts in the button. You call and SB folds while BB checks. Pot at such point is $5. Then flop brings As 2s 5c. BB bets $5 and one limper calls. Pot is now $15. To go on to the turn to get 3-1, it would cost you $5.

Now you have 2-1 to hit by the river, but 4-1 to hit by the turn. If you can ascertain if he wouldn’t bet on the turn then you can use the 2-1 method, but you can use 4-1 instead in case you don’t know such.

Well, for your theory of throwing the hand away because your opponent rates to bet the turn, I think you are missing something. For me, I’d still make the call as when you actually make your flush on the turn, you want your opponent to bet into you. In case I hit it on the turn, then more or less they will bet into me and I’ll probably win lots of money. In case I miss, I can get lost or when they grant me a free card, I can try again to make a flush or else bluff them till they are out. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

All the best,
Joey
Joey,

Personally, on the flop, I am sticking with my odds to determine the call in most cases. In the scenario you presented, you have a 36% chance to hit your flush by the river. If my call is 36% or less of the pot, then I will call. In your scenario, the $5 call is only 33% of the pot. I am making the call here.

Related articles:

1. Raising on the Flop with a Flush Draw to Obtain a Free Card
2. Pot Odds Problems
3. Opponents Getting Mad

Hi,

I’m a newbie and I love to play home games, mainly no limit tourneys. I play regularly with almost the same players all the time. At first, it wasn’t a big deal for me to play with almost the same players every week but later on I discovered some problems. One of the most alarming I guess was something about me knowing and mastering the way some players play and not recognizing any other style of play.

When I play, I am the aggressor, usually stealing pots from tight players. At some point, this had made me unsafe and weak to traps. Whenever I raise before the flop, bet out on the flop and get called and make a stab at it on the turn, I usually put lots of money into the pot. And whenever my opponent goes over the top of me, or raises me on the river I first have to check if he has been been trapping me.

Normally, before I act in any game I first check what kind of opponent I have. Does he bluff that much? Does he trap? What type of hands does he play most of the time? Unfortunately, every time I make judgments, I lose. Well, maybe because I often do not follow my instincts.

At some point, I made some realizations. First, don’t overestimate your own skill, but don’t try a check-raise semi-bluff against a player who just started learning. Second, don’t overplay your opponent. Third, get out of the way if you’re playing against a player you know loves to bet big and actually has big hands. And lastly, to determine whether or not you overplayed, assume that the strategy you used to win in the past has to change when playing against the same opponents.

And to somehow make sure you’ll win, always observe, observe, and observe. If you feel your opponents start to learn things about how you play, never wait and see how they would react instead act immediately. Make some adjustments, some changes.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

Warm regards,
Duke
Duke,

You raise a lot of valid points. The main thing I would like to discuss is observing your opponents. Being able to put players on hands will help you a lot in overplaying your hands. Also, there are some times where you will want to overplay your hands, such as if you are trying to push out straight and flush draws.

Of course, in doing so, you need to know if your opponent will actually lay down to being pushed at. Again, it all goes back on reading your opponents.

Related articles:

1. Lots of Questions
2. High Cards in Early Position
3. Right Time to Call

Hi,

What’s the most effective way to say check when you’re in early position heads up or against two opponents? How about when you hit the table indicating you have a pretty strong hand which in turn makes players check behind you so you can then see one or maybe even two free cards?

By the way, what if you’re in the hand and you don’t really have much however you want to see the cards and then they bet big, will you fold?

Thanks in advance.

All the best,
Tristan
Tristan,

The best way to check is to pat the table twice or three times to indicate you are checking.

In regards to your second question, it depends on the hand. Do you have a big hand or a big draw? If you don’t have much in the pot and not much of a hand, you need to fold. If you have a hand, then call.

Related articles:

1. Raising on the Flop with a Flush Draw to Obtain a Free Card
2. High Cards in Early Position
3. Rule on Cards Touching the Muck

Hello,

For several times this scenario happens to me, I don’t want to fold too high to the point which when everyone folds, however one particular doesn’t want to check it to let others have their free flush however whatever he does, betting and the like, he has to do that at all means.

Any thoughts? Given you have such hand, how do you go about playing them? And if the flush card hits on the turn, what will you do?

Thanks!

Regards,
Genesis
Genesis,

When you play with calling stations, you have to try and push your advantages when you have them, but in the event that draws do hit and you perceive people on the draw, then you need to slow down and check. Chances are at this point you’re beat.

Related articles:

1. Raising on the Flop with a Flush Draw to Obtain a Free Card
2. Played With Weakness
3. On Calling Stations

Hi,

I want to ask something. It’s about raising on the flop with a flush draw to obtain a free card. I’m wondering if you know what’s the logical and sound way to make this play in the event there’s action on the turn. Any thoughts?

Another thing, is the act of raising the flop to obtain a free card the best move when playing against 1 opponent with a made hand? And if a call and a bet appear, what do you think will happen?

Well, in limits things seem clear, but I’m clueless about the things to happen in case you miss on the turn. Is it worth calling a bet on the turn? But how about if they bet with a reasonable amount on the flop?

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Many thanks!

Warm regards,
Leo
Leo,

Raising to get a free card is best to do with one or two opponents only. If they call, they may check on the turn to you. If they don’t, this gives you a better idea of the hand they have. But another thing is that if they call the raise, they may be laying you better odds to draw on the turn to you flush.

On the turn, you have to go by pot odds to determine to draw or not. If you have the proper odds, then call the bet. If you don’t, then fold.

Related articles:

1. When to Draw
2. With Implied Odds
3. High Cards in Early Position

Hello,

I have lots of questions to ask. But before I begin, I would like first to congratulate you and thank you for this site which has been so nice and helpful.

Now, my questions are:

1. At the table, any specific actions or mannerisms you keep record of?
2. While in a hand, any questions you ask yourself?
3. Say bottom pair BB check or bet instead?
4. In tourney, when should one go all in or not with short stack?
5. What’s the best or most efficient way to catch a bluff?
6. Say small pocket pair middle position with or without raise before to your seat, what will you do?
7. In the event you’re up as the chip leader, see many pots several pots?

Thanks again and keep up the good work!

Cheers,
Raymond
Raymond,

Related articles:

1. High Cards in Early Position
2. On Various Stack Sizes
3. Strategy on Isolating an Opponent

Hi,

I’ve been into local free rolls in my place. Well, I play two or three times a week. Most of the time, I face bunch of players with various approaches.

Majority of the players I’ve encountered were loose type thus making it hard for me to steal pots even with a preflop raise and a continuation bet. On the better side, I still can make it to the final table in just almost half the time. There’s just one situation I can never forget.

In early position back then, I had a decent hand, AKs, AK, AQs, AQ. For approximately three times the BB I raised and then got several callers. Flop came but of no help. Later, turn came but of also no help to me, I haven’t made a hand still. At such point, I was in doubts if placing another bet will be a good move.

If you were me, will you place another bet? Well, personally I want to place another one to obtain more info. Also, if I was back in position, how would the situation change? Do you think for free card, I should just check it down to the river and then wait and see if other player place a bet on the river? What do you think?

Hope to hear from you soon.

Many thanks,
John
John,

If you are in position with this hand and raised preflop, you need to bet out on the flop and then if you are still in at the turn, bet out again. You need to take advantage of the position and try to force them out when they show weakness.

Related articles:

1. Lots of Questions
2. Often Into Trouble
3. About Weak Play

Hello,

I wanna know if the big blind can actually raise in case everyone else only calls him in a no limit holdem tourney. Can he go all-in in the event the bet comes back to him and no player raises? Any thoughts?

Thank you.

Regards,
Kirt
Kirt,

If nobody raises the big blind, the big blind has the option to either check or raise. If he chooses raise, he does not get another option unless there is a reraise.

Related articles:

1. Wrapping Players in Hand
2. Side Pots and Calls
3. Rules Related to Home Tournaments

Hi,

I have some questions for you. But before I lay them down all, let me first share where I’m coming from.

Just last Saturday night, I held a small N/L tournament. Buy in was $50 for 30 players $3000 in chips, three tables of ten. Well, the blinds started at $25 / $50 for the first hour but went up after few minutes. Before the action started, I went to every table at the room to discuss some general rules. I’ve emphasized to everyone that the dealer was the one in-charge to keep control of all the muck cards in the tournament and that the sole obligation of the participants was to protect the hands at all times.

Now, here are my questions:

1. Card of a certain guy was swiped to the muck pile by another guy who was not in the hand but actually a helper of the dealer. Well, he had pocket kings with a king on the flop. Later, I just decided to bust him out of the hand and his cards were mucked then. Am I right on this?

2. There was one table which started playing the wrong level at the point by which blinds were about to move up. Other 2 tables was just about to start dealing for that level. Table went 100/200 instead of $75/150. Well, I realized betting already started so I just made every one play the same 100/200 by passing the 75/150. However, instead of 1/2 hour we played such level for 1 hour. Any thoughts?

3. I was able to make it to the final table, I was the dealer. I wanted to deal in fast pace however there were some players who have no reaction or action at all. I believe they have options. For an instance, the big blind, check or raise. However, there was one player who disagreed. Well, as the dealer, I should always let players know and understand all of their options. What do you think?

Thanks!

Regards,
Serino
Serino,

Related articles:

1. Wrapping Players in Hand
2. On Blind Rules
3. Moving a Player From One Table to Another