SCENARIO 36
The flop:
You are sitting in first position after the blinds with:
You raised to $100 before the flop and got called by the player poker to your left, the button, and the big blind for a total pot of $410. You have flopped top trips.
How would you bet and play them to maximize your profit
Analysis
Your main concern is how to get the most chips into this pot. You have very few possible drawing hands to worry about poker.
The Strategy We Suggest
You have flopped top trips, a very strong hand on this K-8-7 flop. The only possible draws are a straight draw and a backdoor flush draw. Everyone in the pot limit holdem has $900 in chips at this point. You would love to be able to get all your chips in at this time, but if you bet anything close to the size of the pot, there is a good chance that everyone will throw their hands away.
If you strongly believe that someone sitting behind you will bet glossary, you can slow-play by checking. If you're not fairly sure that someone will bet if you check, make a small bet of $100- $200. Either way you hope that your opponents will sense weakness on your part and will put in lots of chips trying to steal the pot. It is a very nice feeling to have someone make a large bet at the pot when you are sitting there with the nuts.
SCENARIO 37
The flop:
You are in the big blind in an unraised pot holding:
Two other online poker players are in the pot with you-the small blind and the player next to the button-for a total pot of $ 75. The small blind checks to you on the K-8-7 flop.
How would you play your straight draw in this scenario?
Analysis
If you decide to make a small bet and get raised a substantial amount, you must fold your drawing hand extrastuff. If you check and the player next to the button makes a small bet, you can call.
The Strategy We Suggest
At this point we don't have a made hand, only an open-ended straight draw. We have two choices in how to play this hand: Check hoping to get a free card and make our straight, or make a bet at the pot. We prefer to bet $50-$ 75 because we might win here with no calls. If someone calls we might hit our straight and win a big pot when we have the nuts.
Remember that you don't want to put a lot of chips in at this point on the flop because you only have a draw.
SCENARIO 38
The flop:
You are sitting to the right of the button holding:
The opening player, action Al, raised the pot to $ 75 before the flop. You flat-called the raise and so did Authority Artie in the bigs blind. The pot now has $235 in it.
How do you play your bottom trips on the K-8-7 flop?
Analysis
You have flopped bottom trips, a very strong hand and the nuts at this point unless someone has flopped a larger set. The only obvious draw is the straight draw, or possibly, a backdoor flush draw. Someone also could have a higher pair than your seven card stud and hit it to make a larger set. We are definitely going to play this hand all the way.
The Strategy We suggest
If Artie (the big blind ) checks and Al (the original raiser) bets introduction, we are going to just smooth-call hoping to also pick-up Artie in the big blind. If Artie bets out $150, for example, and Action Al calls, then we would raise to $400. If they both check to us, then we would bet about $200.