Poker for Dummies (Mini Edition) by Richard D. Harroch, Lou Krieger Read Free Book Online

to come out betting or try for a checkraise. Remember: Unless you think your opponent will bet and call your raise, betting is the preferred course of action.
Bluffing on the turn
Suppose that you raised with A-K before the flop and then bet into two opponents when the flop was J-7-3. You don’t suspect any strength, and know your opponents are solid enough players to release a hand when they think they’re beaten.
Because your opponents have to consider the possibility that you’re holding an overpair or a Jack with a good kicker, it’ll be difficult for them to call with anything less than a hand like J-8. Of course, if your opponents are calling stations, they’ll call with almost anything, and you’ll have to become adept enough at knowing their proclivities, so you don’t try to bluff someone who never releases a hand.
A good player also understands that you might be betting a hand like A-K. But she may not call even if she holds a hand like 8-7, because she can’t be certain about what you have, and she could be beaten if her inclination about your bluff is wrong.
Your bet may cause an opponent to lay down the best hand. Even if he calls, the river could bring an Ace or King and win the pot for you. But if you bet and are raised, throw your hand away. Sure, someone may be making a move on you. But it doesn’t happen frequently enough to worry about, particularly in low-limit games. Most of the time, you’ll be beaten when you’re raised in this situation.
    Playing the River
If you’re still contesting the pot while awaiting that last card on the board (the river card), you should have a strong hand, or a draw to what you believe will be the best hand if you make it. If you’re playing with reasonably prudent opponents, what may have begun as a confrontation between five or six will probably be reduced to two — or perhaps three of you — after all the board cards have been exposed.
Realized versus potential value
Prior to the last card, many strategic considerations are predicated on your chances for subsequent improvement. You could, for example, bet a hand composed of a pair and four flush. Taken together, that pair, coupled with its potential for a flush as well as the possibilities of improving to two pair or trips, made it worth playing. And its worth was made up of both realized and potential value.
After the river card is exposed, your hand no longer has any potential value. Its value is fully realized — for better or worse. If that flush draw never materialized, you’re left with one pair, and it may not be enough to win the pot. More importantly, your strategic thinking has to change, too. You have no remaining potential upon which to base decisions.
What do I do when I make my draw?
Many Hold’em newbies automatically check a good flush from early position, hoping to checkraise, thereby trapping their opponents for an additional bet. Others will always bet. These are two very different strategies. Which is correct?
Here’s part one of the general rule on checkraising: Do it when you believe you’ll have the best hand most of the time you are called.
Part two of the general rule on checkraising states that you need to be certain your opponent will bet if you check. It’s no fun to check a big hand only to have your opponents check behind you, especially when you know they would have called if you had bet.
If you aren’t certain that you’ll hold the best hand if you’re called, or you aren’t sure one of your opponents will bet if you check, do not checkraise.
Top pair on the river
An enduring dilemma is what to do when you’re holding top pair against one or two opponents and all the cards are out. Now you have to decide whether to check or bet, or if your opponent acts first, whether to call, fold, or raise.
If you’re observant, you’ll have noticed that some opponents will almost always bet top pair on the river, unless there is a strong threat of a flush or straight. Others