Betting After the Flop

The intuitive action after having read the board on the flop is to bet when you are strong, and to check/fold when you are weak. This is a good strategy. It is a release or play, take a decision attitude.

Contradictory tactics

Some people develop a "smarter" tactic as they have played for a while. They realize that when playing as suggested above, the opponents can take advantage of your predictability. If you check (then you are weak) so they can safely bet and win the pot. If you bet (then you are strong) and your opponent can without regrets lay down their marginal hands. The "smart" tactics" take a 180 degree departure from the intuitive play. The idea is to fool the opponents into laying down their hands even though you are weak, so that you win pots that you are not really "entitled" to win. And when you are strong the opponents are supposed to believe that you are weak so that there can be many bets and raises before they get wiser. Except for the fact that this tactics can become to predictable just as the intuitive can, there is an inherent problem with it.

The intuitive tactics will result in that the pots when you have a good hand become bigger, because you are bringing more money into them yourself. When you have a bad hand, the you do not stand to lose much money. This can also be expressed as: when you are the favorite – the stakes are raised, and when you are the underdog – you are playing for pocket money. That is good. The contradicting tactics, will naturally bring about just the opposite.

General Betting Tactics and Examples

As a starting point, make sure that your good hands are paid off and that you do not lose unnecessary money with your bad hands. To make a few deceptive plays and mixing up your play does not change the basic strategy. Here comes a few basic examples of how simple, solid, and straightforward poker can be played after the flop.

Draw

When on a draw, generally do not bet. Lets say that your hole cards are: 8 8, and the flop has come: J T 9. A bet in this situation is a semi-bluff. Most of the time it is best to check and minimize your risks.

Top Pair or Overpair

When having the top pair or an overpair then you are strong, so bet. With pocket pairs as J J and a flop of 9 7 6, bet. A bet – or if you have the opportunity, a raise ‐ does many things here. It raises the stakes when you are the presumed favorite, it can drive people out who would have outdrawn if they were allowed to stay in the hand for free, and it makes people pay the price to try outdrawing you. Would you not have loved being checked to if you were holding 8 8? So as a defense if someone else has that hand, bet.

Trips

If you have a set on the flop, and there are no draws on the board, the you are very strong. For example: your pocket cards are T T and the flop is T 7 5. This could be a situation when you can mix up your play. Even though you are strong, acting weaker than you really are or slowplaying can be a good play. You would be unhappy if no one swallowed your bate on the flop, and bet, but you would not be miserable. Say the turn comes with the K. Someone could have made a pretty decent hand with that card, good enough to try to fight you over it. That is good news because it is unlikely that someone has made a hand that can beat you three of a kind.

Top Pair When Someone Has Acted Strong Preflop

Another time when a deviating approach can be lucrative, could be the example with top pair again, but with expanded circumstances. Suppose someone else has acted strongly before the flop, you have called a raise with A Q. Now the flop comes Q 8 6. If you are first to act, this is a good situation to plan a check-raise. If your opponent according to plan bets, then you raise. You should be strong with this flop. If you in turn are reraised, then it is time to start reconsidering the hand that you have put your opponent on. Though it is still worth the risk.

The obvious risk you take is to let the hand be roundchecked. Then someone can improve their hand for free, while if you are able to put in that check-raise you can gain two bets from each player or win the pot right there and then. The decision, to bet or to attempt a check-raise comes down to what you know about your opponent. If you know that he is a very tight player that extremely seldom raises, then you could have folded preflop If your opponent is very aggressive then check, because you can expect a bet and a following call with a sub-average hand. Otherwise, to just come out betting should be the general approach.

Summary

If the flop is good, bet. If the flop is bad, check/fold. Why make it harder than it is? Tricky situations when you have an opportunity to shine with great moves will come along anyway. Also notice that it is much easier to play the flop (and the turn and river) when holding strong starting hands. If you have pocket nines, then you are strong with a set and weak with an overcard to your pair on the board. If you have pocket kings, you are most often strong just about every time there is no ace out there. If you are holding AQ, you do not have to worry about kickers as you would had you held KQ.