SCENARIO 52
The flop
You are sitting on the button with:
Before the flop Reckless Rick brings it in for $ 75. We are sitting on the button with A-Q suited and just call the raise. Novice Nancy folds in the small blind. Loose Louie calls in the big blind. The pot is now $235. the flop comes 6-6-Q. Loose Louie bets out $200 from the big blind. Rick thinks and then calls the $200. It's up to you.
What's Your Move?
Analysis
Even thought online poker Rick raised before the flop, we know from our observations of his play that he is capable of raising with any type of hand. We can always count on Louie to defend his Blind with almost any two cards. We have flopped top pair with top kicker, giving us two pair on the flop.
Before we decide whether to raise, call or fold, let's analyze what hands Louie or Rick could be playing against us. Because Rick has called Louie's $200 bet on the flop, we now have some additional information about poker the possible strength of his hand. If he had a queen or an overpair, Reckless Rick probably would have raised Louie's Bet on the flop, so we put him on a middle to low pair, or two over card game. But there's a danger: Because of the unpredictable cards that he raises with, Reckless Rick could have something like an A-6 suited-in which case, he would just flat-call Louie's flop bet in order to set a trap for him (and us, if we call )on the turn.
Let's think about what Loose Louie might have that he was so proud of to call a raise with before the flop, and then to lead with on the flop. Since Louie leads at the pot, it more likely that he has a queen than a six in his hand. If you just call, you would not get any additional information about the strength of your opponent's hands. If you raise, there's a good chance that Reckless Rick will fold.
But what about Loose Louie? If he has a six in his hand, he'll come back over the top of you.
The Strategy We Suggest
Raise. There now is $635 in the pot-$235 before the flop, Louie's $200 bet, and Rick's $200 call. You have $925 in chips. We suggest that you raise it to $500. As a beginning poker player, you probably cannot get away from this hand. Even if Louie and / or Rick comes Back over the top of you for all your chips, you'll have to go with the hand. And of course, you might seven card stud have the best hand. Judging on their play in previous hands, you know that either of them might have a worse hand than you do. For example, Louie could have a queen with a worse kicker than yours.
SCENARIO 53
The flop:
We are sitting in the big blind holdem poker game the trash hand:
Before the flop, Tight Ted limps from first position, Novice Nancy limps in behind him, and Action Al limps on the button. Authority Artie calls from the small blind and we check in the big blind. There is $125 in the pot before the flop. Comes 6-6-Q. Artie checks.
What's Your Move?
Analysis
Naturally we're going to play this hand. The big question is what is the best way to get the most money into the pot limit texas holdem. We realize that there are inherent dangers in the hand. One more six is out-and that's really the only thing we have to worry about unless one of our opponents (most likely Tight Ted, if anybody) limped with pocket queens.
We can pretty well figure that Ted does not have a six in his hand.
The Strategy We Suggest
Check, hoping to check-raise. Since we have Action Al on the button, we can safely predict that he's going to bet with anything if it's passed to him. Our check also will give us additional information about Tight Ted's hand. Our best scenario is to trap two or even three of our opponents into betting with either a queen or an overpair. (Wouldn't it be nice if three of them each had a queen, leaving them all drawing determining dead to our trip sixes? How much sweeter can it get?)
Flop Six
Three middle Connectors/Unsuited
The flop:
SCENARIO 54
The flop:
we are sitting in middle position and look down at:
Before the flop, everybody passed to us and we brought it in for $100. We didn't raise just three times the big blind, we made a slightly larger raise to discourage anybody from calling behind us with hands such as K-Q or even Q-10 or a weak ace (A-9 or A-x). Novice Nancy called in the cutoff seat, Tight Ted folded in the small blind, and Action Al called in the big blind. The pot size is $310.
On the flop, action Al bets $250.
What's Your Move?
Analysis
Before the flop came with small cards, players like Action Al often think that the raiser has missed the flop and lead at it. What kinds of hands might Al have? He could have flopped a pair, or a straight draw, or nothing. The chances that he flopped a straight are slim to none, because he probably would have checked extrastuff if he hit the straight on the flop, hoping that you would bet it for him.
Novice Nancy could have any big-card hand such as A-K, A-Q, K-Q, or maybe a pocket pair. Unless Nancy has flopped a set, our overpair probably is the best hand on the flop.
The Strategy We Suggest
In answer to Al's $250 bet, we suggest moving all in. If you raise double his Bet ($500), you will have only $400 left in a situation in which you are pot-logged to start with. If they do have a straight draw hand , they'll have to pay dearly to draw to it. You might just as well put your opponents to the test right here on the flop and possibly glossary pick up a $460 profit.