Cometh the Flop -2

Not taking it seriously

 

In most Holdem betting formats, the second round    of betting which comes just after the flop, is at the lower betting limit. For example, in a $5/S 10 hold ‘em game, this second round of betting is a $5 round (the same as the round of betting before the flop). When you first start to play hold ‘em, it might seem to you that many people do not take this particular (lower limit) round of betting seriously! It probably seems quite fashionable to make wild and woolly bets and raises after the flop! Is there rhyme or reason to all this? The answer is generally yes — but, as with many things in life, the aggressive players often overplay the situation.

 

In most of these after-the-flop competitive situations, the more aggressive players are jockeying around (especially when the pot has been enlarged by before-the-flop raises) in order to further their own prospects by Intimidating and perhaps eliminating less tenacious competition. Good Players usually understand what they are trying to accomplish (such as “take the initiative,” “narrow the field,” or grab “the raiser’s edge”). But many  players act aggressively on instinct or are imitating the actions of good players (often inappropriately). Or they may be simply reacting to previous events. There are few reliable inferences from most after-the-flop raises. But note very well that most often these bets and raises are based on marginal cards rather than on truly good cards!

Last raiser’s advantage

If no one has a good hand (a situation which occurs often — perhaps more than one-third of the time), the person who bets, often wins the pot by default. Whenever there is a raise (or raises) after the flop, it is the last raiser who is most likely to win the pot uncalled. Although well under half of the pots are stolen (perhaps between ten and thirty percent depending on the game), being the bettor when no one has much is certainly an edge worth having and hence worth fighting for! You might refer to the (extra) percentages of winning by default obtained by betting or raising as “the bettor’s equity” or “the raiser’s edge.”

There are a number of other tangible benefits gained by betting aggressively after the flop. Some of the positional considerations will be discussed later. Sometimes “image adjustment” is a factor. And sometimes these raising battles after the flop degenerate to interpersonal psychological battles.

An illustrative example of sound aggressive raising strategy after the flop is in the situation where there was a late raise before the flop trapping several callers, thereby creating a big initial pot. The flop comes and one of the early players bet. You have a reasonable (but not great) call, and you would like to compete because of the pot size. But you suspect that the before-the-flop raiser in back of you might raise (frequently on nothing but high cards).

In these situations, sound aggressive “hold ‘em mentality” tells us that if you are going to compete, your odds improve considerably if you take the initiative by raising! Note that you are essentially inverting your normal strategy. You raise with lesser marginal hands(!) and merely call with very good hands!

   

Cometh the Flop -1

The flop hits the table. There is perhaps no more exciting moment in all of poker when so much happens at one time. These three up cards, called “the flop,” can easily turn a great two-card starting hand into foldable mush or turn two junk cards (for example, a typical bad “blind” hand) into pure gold! And note that you see all three of these flop cards (which together with your two hand cards constitutes five of the seven cards), all for the price of one round of betting (the round of betting before the flop). This is quite a bargain, compared with most other forms of poker with open cards, where five cards are seen only after several rounds of betting.

But, as this flop hits the table, you are strongly advised to look around at the other players instead of feasting your eyes on this latest awesome flop (you can look at the flop later). At this particular moment, some very useful information is available to those who know enough to look for it.

Studying players

Quite often even good players make spontaneous facial expressions or other motions (referred to as “tells”) which indicate whether they particularly like or dislike the flop. If this is one of the many hands that you have chosen not to play (that is, you folded before the flop), this is a great time to study the active players to check out what kind of hands they bet, call or raise with, whether they play loose or tight, whether they tend to “chase” or fold when behind, “pay off’ at the end, etc. This is information you must have in your memory banks to help you make subsequent close decisions. But observe inconspicuously; you strongly prefer that your opponents do not become aware that they are being watched (even not-too- bright opponents can pick up on this).

For example, if you have a high pair, one or more higher cards in the flop often sends you to the showers. Even with aces you may face impending doom when a high pair hits the board, or three of the same suit, or even three to a straight such as jack-ten-nine. On the other hand, if you entered in the blind with 7-2 off suit, and the flop hits with three more of these cards (such as 7-7-2), then you have obviously struck gold.

Mike Caro says: “Watch the players, not the flop, even when you’re not involved in the hand. There’s absolutely no reason for you to watch the flop. If you do, you’ll miss the most important tells in hold ‘em. The flop will still be there when you’re ready to look. Pick out one opponent and watch that player watch the flop. Either the opponent continued to stare at the flop for several seconds or the opponent looked away uninterested. Which was it? Make a decision each time you see that opponent look at the flop. Usually when opponents scrutinize a flop and then nonchalantly look away, they like the flop. They’re simply pretending that it doesn’t interest them. Conversely, if they continue to stare as if studying the flop optimistically, it probably didn’t help them at all. I will not discuss their motives in depth, but I devoted a book (complete with 179 photographs) to that complex topic. It’s called Mike Caro’s Book of Tells the Body Language of Poker.”

The flop hits the table. You have scrutinized the opposition. Now it is time to commence firing. What are the main guiding principles? If the flop gives you a lock hand (very unlikely to lose), you should probably check in an early seat about two-thirds of the time (reasons discussed later). If the flop completely misses you, you will probably check intending to fold at the first bet (in early seat, it is rare to bluff with nothing — unless you have some specific knowledge about your opponents). Very good and very bad hands are relatively easy to play. But planning your campaign after the flop with in-between hands is probably the most skill-intensive area in hold ‘em. And your position with respect to the dealer (button) is an extremely important aspect in your planning.

Playing table

Let It Ride is played on a table that is very similar to a blackjac1 and is usually located in or near the blackjack area. In most casinos is easy to find because there is an elevated sign at the table identifying the game. The table has six or seven player positions around the curved side of the table (see illustration). The dealer stands at the flat side with a chip rack directly in front of her and a card-shuffling machine to her right.

 

At each player position are three betting circles. In most casinos they are marked, from left to right: “$“, “2,” and “1” (some casinos reverse the order). These circles are where the three mandatory bets are placed prior to dealing a hand. There is also a red-lighted spot above the three betting circles where an optional $1 bonus side bet may be placed. The spot will light up to indicate which players are qualified for the bonus.

Directly in front of the chip rack are two rectangular boxes, sometimes marked with the numbers “1” and “2.” This is where the dealer places the two community cards (initially face down).

How the game is played

 

The most important goal in Let It Ride is to end up with a five card poker hand that is at least as good as a pair of tens. For players who invested an extra dollar to qualify for the bonus payout, the secondary goal is to get a hand that is equal or better than the minimum bonus payout. Depending on the particular pay table, this may be a pair of tens, two pair, or three-of-a-kind.

 

Start

 

At the start of each game, you have to place equal bets in each of the three betting circles. Most Let It Ride tables have either a $5 or a $10 minimum bet requirement. This is a little misleading because a $5 minimum means you must bet at least $15 ($5 in each circle). However, if you are unhappy with how your hand develops, you can pull back as much as $10 of your initial $15 bet. When you place your three bets, you may also put a dollar on the red bonus spot. This is entirely optional; however, if you do not invest the dollar, you will have no chance of winning the extra bonus, regardless of how good a hand you might have.

 

 

Once all the bets are placed, the dealer distributes three face-do cards to each player from a shuffling machine. The dealer also places two face-down cards on the two rectangular boxes at the center of the table. These are the two community cards that will ultimately be a part of each player’s hand. In some casinos, the community cards are not dealt out until each player has made the first betting decision. You may now look at your three cards, but you aren’t supposed to show them to anyone else.

 

 

Sure winner

 

If your hand is a sure winner (has a pair of tens or better), or if you believe the addition of the two community cards will make your hand a winner, you should let the first bet ride. Do this by squaring up the cards and laying them face down directly behind the center bet.

 

 

Looser

 

 

If the hand appears to be a loser, you should lightly scratch the cards on the table (similar to asking for a hit in blackjack). The dealer will then push the first bet out of the circle so that you may retrieve it. Note that pulling back your bet is not the same as folding your hand. You continue to play—you just have less money riding on the hand. After all the players at the table have made their betting decisions, the dealer turns over the first of the two community cards, and the entire process is repeated. You re-evaluate your hand just as before except that you now have four cards on which to base your judgment. At this time, you can pull back your second bet if the hand does not look good, or “let it ride” if it does. Keep in mind that you may pull back your second bet even if you let the first bet ride.

Poker Hand Ranking

   Below is a list of winning Poker hands, and how they rank, including an example for each type.This hand ranking applies to all kinds of poker games, including Texas Holdem.

The High card: The highest ranked card in the deck is an Ace, and the ranking runs from the Ace down through the cards all the way to 2. 

Pair:Any two cards of the same kind, for example: two kings.

Two Pairs:Two sets of cards of the same kind, for example: two nines and two fours.

Three of a Kind:Three cards of the same kind, for example: three jacks (also called trips or a set when you have a pocket pair and the flop comes with that same card).

Straight:Five cards in sequential order, for example: 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace (Note: the ace can be used both as the lowest and highest card).

Flush:Any five cards of the same suit, for example: 2, 4, 7, 9 and 10 of spades.

Full House:A combination of three of a kind and a pair, for example: three kings and two tens.

Four of a Kind:Four cards of the same kind, for example: four nines.

Straight Flush:Five cards in sequential order of the same suit, for example: 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 of hearts.

Royal Flush:The best poker hand, a royal flush, is a straight flush containing: 10, J, Q, K and Ace of the same suit, for example: 10, J, Q, K, and Ace of spades.