Picture this: You flop top pair/top kicker and there is a straight draw on the table. You’re first to act with two players after you who limped into the hand, what do you do? Shoot the hostage!
Wait, wrong movie.
In situations like this, it’s important to know when you can draw more money out of the rest of the table, and when it’s time to shut the door and take the pot while you still can; even if it is a small pot. In my last post I mentioned that “many people will often pay small amounts to see if they can draw into a good hand” and this is exactly the situation I was referring to. It’s also safe to say that the only hands which can beat you at this point are two-pair and three-of-a-kind, both of which are fairly unlikely.
If the pot is say, $3,000 and you bet the minimum of $1,000, then you’re giving anyone on a draw odds to call. If however you were to bet the full amount of the pot, or even slightly more than the pot, you’re making a statement that you will not allow the rest of the table to draw into the hands they want, at least not without paying for it. You have to remember that even if there is a player with an open-ended straight draw, the odds are in your favour to winning (at roughly 3:2 for this flop) so anyone on a draw will likely not call you unless they are a massive chip leader, or they are crazy. Even still you make it a tough call for them.
As far as someone re-raising you, generally speaking, the only players who are going to do so in this situation are players with two pair or players with trips. So right away with the right bet, you can easily determine who has what and very likely take down a pot while you still can. While it will not work everytime, in the long run it should increase your overall winnings in Texas Holdem.
Check out Bodog’s poker tips for more useful info on how you can increase your game.
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