Tag Archives: flop
Calculating Your Odds
Determining pot odds is a crucial part of any poker players game. Many players find it difficult to calculate the odds during the intense moments of battle, but calculating your odds comes down to once simple question; How much money will it cost to keep playing this hand and how much money am I likely to make if I catch the cards I need? Knowing the answers to these questions will save you from just giving away your chips at the poker table. A bit of basic math is required here, but if its your first time, I promise to be gentle.
Okay, to properly explain this we will need a set up hand. You (lets call you Johnny) have just been dealt 10 J and the flop is 2 8 9. The pot is currently 1000 (dollars or chips) and your opponent has just bet 300. With this basic information we must first figure out how many outs you have left. Outs are cards that can help you make a winning hand between whats already in your hand and the flop. You have 2 over cards (10 J), or cards higher than the flop, in your hand, and the deck has three more 10s and three more Jacks, beginning your total outs at 6.
With the flop you now have an open-ended straight (8 9 10 J), meaning that you need either a 7 or a Queen to make your straight. Since we know that there are four 7s and 4 Qs in the deck. That gives us an additional 8 outs for a total of 14 outs.
With a total of 14 outs, we can now calculate your odds by dividing them by the number of cards in the deck, 52. 52/14=3.3, giving you 3-to-1 odds on your hand. This is far less confusing than it sounds. All these numbers mean is that for every 3 times these five cards (10 J 2 8 9) are dealt, you should get one of your outs one time, but whether or not you win the hand depends on how you bet.
Now, lets discuss the bet. Your opponent bet 300 chips so you know have the second part of this equation in order to make a winning bet. You have to call your opponent because he only bet 30% of the pot which means that as long as you have at least 30% of the pot available to call, pot odds are in your favor. But, if your stack is less than 30% of the pot, you should fold and you live to die in another hand. So, to answer the above question; in this example it would cost you 300 chips to call and you could win a 1300 pot. In this instance pot odds are definitely in your favor.
No Limit Holdem Small Buy-ins. Post-flop. Flop. (Page 1 of 5)
Your game on the flop is closely connected with how you play on the pre-flop. Often, if you raise to get into the game, it means you have to continue the attack on the flop. When you raise on the pre-flop, you are letting your opponents know that your cards are rather strong. Try to win the pot on the flop even if you dont have winning cards. If you stop attacking on the flop because your cards arent great, it will be obvious to your opponents. The bet on the flop after the pre-flop raise is called a continuation bet or a cont bet. The size of this bet should not differ from the size of the bet when the flop suits you. If you follow this rule, it is more difficult for your contenders to find out if you are bluffing or not. The size of this bet should be between 2/3 of the pot up to the pot size.
When is the best time to make a continuation bet? If you are in a position against one opponent and he checks on the flop, you should always make a cont bet. The only exception is if your opponent is a calling station (Calling Station: a player who constantly calls on the flop with any pair or even without a pair).
Always continue the attack against one opponent if you are in a bad position and the flop is not risky. A flop which is considered to be less risky is one that doesnt offer a large number of possible unfinished combinations. For instance: flop 8-9s-Ts, doesnt call for a cont bet if, of course, you dont have a strong draw already. Before making a cont bet, look at the flop structure carefully. If the flop doesnt suit you but may suit your contender, who usually calls your raises with a particular range of hands, you shouldnt make a cont bet. Instead, you should play check-fold. For instance: you have 99, the flop is A-J-Q. You know that your contender calls raises if he has high cards.
Do not continue the attack on the flop when two or more contenders have called your pre-flop raise and the flop has not brought you anything. Lets discuss the reason for this move. After two or more contenders have called your raise, the pot has become bigger. You need to make a continuation bet of a considerably bigger size now. The profitability of your bet has decreased two fold (the possibility of both opponents folding is two times lower). The only time you should make a cont bet against two opponents is if the flop is not incredibly risky and youre in a good position. For instance: the flop is 3-4-4, the both contenders have checked before you. It is important to note that you may reduce the size of your bet up to half the pot when there is a pair on the board.
Premium hands AA and KK:
There are two different situations in which you will play hands like these.
Raised pot:
If you have raised on the pre-flop and somebody has called your raise, you should play aggressively but carefully on the post-flop. Continue your attack with a bet of the pot size on any flop. The only exception is if you have KK, there is an ace on the flop and you have more than one opponent. You should only make a cont bet from a good position. If not, play check-fold. If there is a rainbow of low range cards on the flop, be careful when tight players call your bet. If you dont know your contenders style of play and he makes a re-raise, the best idea is to fold. You should bet the whole stack on the flop if you play against risk takers or short-stackers (up to 70BB). Re-raised pot.