No limit hold'em means you can bet whatever amount you want when you want during a hand. But nevertheless dont just bet randomly!
The very best players bet consistently throughout a hand.
Espscially in tournaments it is important to size your bets based on the size of the pot and the size of your stack.
The "ideal bet":
-between 1/2 and 2/3 of the pot.
-consistency: pick a percentage to use throughout the game or tournament no matter what size the pot is.
The opposite of the "ideal bet" is the "minimum bet". It is equal to the size of the big blind.
A "min bet" is almost never correct, unless the "min bet" is equal to 1/2 or 2/3 of the pot.
The "pot size" bet:
-A bet equal to the amount of chips already in the pot.
A "pot size" bet is typically not correct, but it can be used in certain situations.
-Puts maximum pressure on an opponent without betting all your chips
-To confuse opponents if you hit a great flop
The "all-in" bet:
-A bet with all your chips.
Allows you to apply maximum pressure on your opponent. Its the right play to make if you are betting 1/3 or more of your entire stack. By moving all in instead of betting 1/3 of your stack you have no further action in the hand, but to sit back and watch the cards. And you dont have to make a desicion for the few chips you have left.
If you have less than 15 times the big blind pre-flop, moving all-in on any hand you choose to play is the standard move.
Showing posts with label betting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label betting. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Defensive betting
When you are defensively betting your goal is to have your opponent call or fold only so they dont take the lead or rase your hand.
Bet defensively when you are on a draw and have not made your hand yet.
I.e. we played 7,8s in middle position. On flop we get a flush draw. Checking in that situation is ok but it might not be the best decision because we give up potential value if we hit that draw.
But this would give our opponent the chance to make a bet which would force us to fold.
The trick to betting defensively is to make a bet big enough for them to call or fold, but cheap enough that it doesnt cost you too much to see the next card.
Usually a bet around 1/3 the size of the pot is the right bet.
Bet defensively when you are on a draw and have not made your hand yet.
I.e. we played 7,8s in middle position. On flop we get a flush draw. Checking in that situation is ok but it might not be the best decision because we give up potential value if we hit that draw.
But this would give our opponent the chance to make a bet which would force us to fold.
The trick to betting defensively is to make a bet big enough for them to call or fold, but cheap enough that it doesnt cost you too much to see the next card.
Usually a bet around 1/3 the size of the pot is the right bet.
Another example for the goals of betting
This time we want our opponent to call or raise our bet.
We are in middle position with poket eights and we raised three times the big blind in pre-flop. The player in the big blind position calls. Lets assume he has A 9 offsuit.
The flop is Ace of spades 8 of hearts and 3 of hearts.
We have triple 8 and our opponent a pair of aces.
How can we bet to get the most amount of money out of our opponent?
We want to makeour hand look weaker than it actually is.
How can we do this?
-If you act first, and your opponent is aggresive make a small bet roughly 1/2 the pot. If hes not aggesive just check and hope that he raises for you.
-If your opponent acts first and checks, you could check to make him think his aces look good.
-If he raises you should just call.
We are in middle position with poket eights and we raised three times the big blind in pre-flop. The player in the big blind position calls. Lets assume he has A 9 offsuit.
The flop is Ace of spades 8 of hearts and 3 of hearts.
We have triple 8 and our opponent a pair of aces.
How can we bet to get the most amount of money out of our opponent?
We want to makeour hand look weaker than it actually is.
How can we do this?
-If you act first, and your opponent is aggresive make a small bet roughly 1/2 the pot. If hes not aggesive just check and hope that he raises for you.
-If your opponent acts first and checks, you could check to make him think his aces look good.
-If he raises you should just call.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
The goals of betting
As mentioned in the last to posts:
You want your bets to have purpose and you want your bet to tell a story to get your opponents to act the way you want them to.
How do you do this?
First, you have to identify what you want them to do.
There are only three possibilities: fold, call or raise.
One example:
Your on a 9 player table and you have KQ offsuit. You raise to 3 times the big blind preflop and only one opponent is left. The flop brings King of hearts and Queen of hearts and four of spades. You hit a top two pair. What do you do now?
Even though you hit top two pair, it is still a scary flop. Your opponent might have a flush draw or a straight draw. You want to end the hand right now.
The first thing to determine is what kind of player he is.
A: Loose (more likely to chase cards)
B: Tight (most likely to fold)
As your opponent will only hit the draw 1/3 of a time betting half the pot will likely get a tight player to fold because the odds are not in his favor for the amount of money he has to put in.
Against a loose opponent a 1/2 the pot bet is probably to small. You will have to make a full pot bet or even over bet the pot to try to get him to fold. In some cases this may mean going all in.
You want your bets to have purpose and you want your bet to tell a story to get your opponents to act the way you want them to.
How do you do this?
First, you have to identify what you want them to do.
There are only three possibilities: fold, call or raise.
One example:
Your on a 9 player table and you have KQ offsuit. You raise to 3 times the big blind preflop and only one opponent is left. The flop brings King of hearts and Queen of hearts and four of spades. You hit a top two pair. What do you do now?
Even though you hit top two pair, it is still a scary flop. Your opponent might have a flush draw or a straight draw. You want to end the hand right now.
The first thing to determine is what kind of player he is.
A: Loose (more likely to chase cards)
B: Tight (most likely to fold)
As your opponent will only hit the draw 1/3 of a time betting half the pot will likely get a tight player to fold because the odds are not in his favor for the amount of money he has to put in.
Against a loose opponent a 1/2 the pot bet is probably to small. You will have to make a full pot bet or even over bet the pot to try to get him to fold. In some cases this may mean going all in.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Betting Checklist
Before acting on your hand there is a list of questions you should ask yourself. But there is no one right way to play a given hand.
- The size of your stack is one of the most important issues to consider. Its size (relative to the blinds) determine the options you have.
With a very small stack your options are limited to folding and all-in.
A bigger stack (at least 30-times the big blind) gives you the posibility to raise and re-raise before the flop.
- The second issue to consider before you bet is your position on the table. There are some blogposts about that.
- The third item to consider is the size of the blinds and the amount of money in the pot. Remember: when you bet you tell a story. If that story does not make sense no one will follow it.
For pre-flop bets a good rule of thumb is a raise about 3 to 4 times the big blind.
- The action that happend in front of you. By paying attention to it you can determine the strength of your opponents hands. It helps to decide what type of players your opponents are. Are they loose, tight, aggressive or passive?
This is the checklist which you should go through with every bet. And finally: your bet has to serve a purpose. Do you want your opponents to fold or do you want them to put as much money in the pot as possible?
- The size of your stack is one of the most important issues to consider. Its size (relative to the blinds) determine the options you have.
With a very small stack your options are limited to folding and all-in.
A bigger stack (at least 30-times the big blind) gives you the posibility to raise and re-raise before the flop.
- The second issue to consider before you bet is your position on the table. There are some blogposts about that.
- The third item to consider is the size of the blinds and the amount of money in the pot. Remember: when you bet you tell a story. If that story does not make sense no one will follow it.
For pre-flop bets a good rule of thumb is a raise about 3 to 4 times the big blind.
- The action that happend in front of you. By paying attention to it you can determine the strength of your opponents hands. It helps to decide what type of players your opponents are. Are they loose, tight, aggressive or passive?
This is the checklist which you should go through with every bet. And finally: your bet has to serve a purpose. Do you want your opponents to fold or do you want them to put as much money in the pot as possible?
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Betting Guidelines
These guidlines will help you to decide when and how much to bet.
Very important: Every bet you make should serve a purpose!
I.e. to get your opponent to fold, call or raise
Betting is like telling a story. It has to make sense otherwise your opponents wont follow you.
Betting options:
1.Call:
Matching the pot size
2.Raise:
Putting more money in the pot than the person before you.
3.Fold:
Giving up your hand when the action reaches you.
But dont forget to watch the players who still play after you folded. You can pick up valuable information about they play. Know your enemy!
4.Check:
You have as much money in the pot and dont want to raise or fold.
If you play in a real casino not online, always announce the size of your bet. The announcement is binding and if you accidently put more or less chips in the pot than you wanted, you can adjust them.
Very important: Every bet you make should serve a purpose!
I.e. to get your opponent to fold, call or raise
Betting is like telling a story. It has to make sense otherwise your opponents wont follow you.
Betting options:
1.Call:
Matching the pot size
2.Raise:
Putting more money in the pot than the person before you.
3.Fold:
Giving up your hand when the action reaches you.
But dont forget to watch the players who still play after you folded. You can pick up valuable information about they play. Know your enemy!
4.Check:
You have as much money in the pot and dont want to raise or fold.
If you play in a real casino not online, always announce the size of your bet. The announcement is binding and if you accidently put more or less chips in the pot than you wanted, you can adjust them.
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