- THE FLOP
- When the flop is on the table you will have made 71% of your hand. To see the next 29% will cost you a lot more than the price of just seeing the flop, and the chance of hitting your required cards will be many, many times lower, so save your money here and now - If you have not got them then fold them!
- With the flop a lot of things may happen. The first and most important thing to figure out is what kind of cards the other players might be sitting with. The secret to see this is in the combination of their possible hands and their betting style.
- If somebody hardly ever places a bet at all and suddenly starts raising like a mad man he must have got some very good combination already. The 3 cards on the table will no doubt tell a lot about what he might have.
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The main warning signs are:
- Two or three cards of same suit: Somebody will probably win with a flush. Their highest card will decide.
- One pair: A dangerous flop which opens up the chances of somebody having two pairs, three of a kind, a full house and even 4 equal cards.
- Three cards of 7 or higher: Now there is a great risk of a high straight being the winner hand.
- Never ever overlook the importance of evaluating your opponents possible combination and pay full attention to their betting manner!
- The one thing to remember is that the highest combination of hand will always be the winner. There might be a draw, but this is not a good solution to bet for since the amount in the pot is very low compared to what a full battle would be costing you.
- If two hands are both made up of the same two pairs, then the last card will decide which one of the hands is going be the winner. If both last cards are of equal strength there will be a draw and a shared pot.
- Even though your flop might look good, never forget the fact that another player could have a better combination than you, or that they may manage to get it later on in the betting rounds.
- You really should think of not raising like mad on two pairs, even if one of them is made out of the highest card on the table. It may well happen that another player has already got, or will later get, his 3 of a kind or even a full house and you will be badly beaten at the end of the story.
- If you have got a straight with one high card in, is it possible for another player to have gained an even higher straight with two high cards?
- If you have got a flush is it possible that another player also has got the same flush with a higher card on top?
- When you find yourself in a situation where somebody is raising like mad and some of these cards are in the flop then you should fold at once unless your combination has a great chance of being better.
- Do not join in on a betting round after the flop without a completed good combination unless you have an Ace high and another same suited card on your hand and with only one card short of a full flush, but this option is only a good one as long as there is no pair on the table, which could mean that full house or 4 of a kind is out, which are better combinations than a flush, while a straight or 3 of a kind will lose to the flush if it is completed.
- Be very careful about how much you will pay in this option though, and never raise unless you are the last one to act, that you have pretty good cards and that nobody else has raised before you.
- If other players are raising and you do not have a good and/or high enough combination - FOLD!!!!
- On the other hand in any situation, when you raise you will certainly tell the other players that you have got something good, and this should most probably make a few of them go fold.
- This is the correct thing to do in almost all cases since the best chance you will have to win at the final showdown is by making sure that there are as few players as possible in the last part of this game.
- But then again, if you are VERY, VERY SURE that your hand will be the winning hand in the end, and that it is not at all likely for anyone to beat you, THEN you maybe should think very differently.
- Lets say that you have got a A 10 on hand and the flop is A 10 A
- You are sitting on a full house of Aces filled with tens.
- The only combinations that could beat you would be a totally unbelievable Straight Flush or a Royal Flush. No matter what, with such a hand you absolutely would want to make the other players pump the pot with as much money as possible.
- You could do two things in this situation;
- 1. Wait for several seconds as though you are really very, very afraid of somebody having a better hand than yours before you place your bet. This will quite often make other players feel a lot more strong handed and they will call your bet.
- 2. Just check or call and play along nicely and let the other players gain some better combinations before you raise and collect your money at the very end of the round.
- Some times a player will choose to check/raise the rest of the players. This move is not something you should do without a very certain opinion on why you are doing it. First of all, if you just check with cards great enough to win you risk loosing a full betting round. This could cost you!
- To first check and then to raise a bet made against you will make the other players very aware that you have a solid combination on hand. If this is correct then you really would not like to scare them away too soon.
- If your cards are not so good this could be a very scary move and may make people fold, but using a check/raise method too late in the game, or against opponents who also hold a good combination on hand, will do nothing but harm against your own amount of money.
- The plain and easy ways are the very best ones - Bet if you have got cards good enough for a win, call if you believe that there is a good chance of winning this round and fold when you feel that you hold a hand that might not make it.
- Basically though - What the other players may have got on their hand should be foremost in your mind, ahead of whatever combinations you might get yourself.
- Either you feel strong or you feel weak compared to the cards on the table and the betting patterns around.
- If you feel strong then play very carefully but if you are feeling just a bit weak then fold in good time before any more of your precious money is wasted into an opponents' pocket!
- Throughout all this, the most successful way of playing is to make sure that you really have got the winning combination as you go on, and then you can play hard.
- It is commonly known that the best way to win is by playing very tight in combination with a very aggressive way of betting. Being able to do just that you must make sure to fold everything you will not win with and to endlessly raise while holding a proper winning hand. This is the method of playing which will totally separate the winners from the losers.
More information:
PATIENCE, PATIENCE, PATIENCE
POSITION, POSITION, POSITION
THE BETTING STYLE OF OTHER PLAYERS
THE PLAYING STYLE OF OTHER PLAYERS
THE AMOUNT OF MONEY IN THE POT
YOUR OWN STARTING HAND
THE FLOP
THE TURN AND RIVER
When to CHECK, CALL, BET, RAISE or FOLD
Where to play and why
What rooms to start at
How to get your money
The Final Note
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