Shake Hands With The Devil Poker

When you play Holdem you will run into some situations where you know that you have the best hand. You will either know because you have the nuts or you’ll have found some tell on your opponent where you’re almost certain you have the best hand. If you think you have the best hand then you want to make sure you soak the most out of your opponent.

If you have the best hand lets say on the flop because you hit the ace high flush then you want to make sure you disguise the strength of your hand. The last thing you want your opponent to think is that you just hit the ace high flush. If you led out betting preflop then you might want to follow it up with a small bet or a check. If the other player was the one who bet the pot preflop then check to see if they make a stab at the pot.

If your opponent takes a stab at the pot then you should only make a flat call in this situation after taking some time to think about it. On the turn you should check to your opponent again. If they lead out betting then you need to raise a small amount on them here such as the minimum raise. If they don’t call then you will win whatever is in the pot without even showing your flush. If your opponent does make the call then you will be able to lead out betting on the river.

You want to be able to lead out betting on the river so that you can make a value bet on the pot. If your opponent has bet or called down to the river with you then the pot will typically be pretty juicy by now. Let’s say you’re playing on a $1/$2 table and the pot has $150 in it. Since you know you have the best hand you want to make sure that your opponent is likely to call you. I would recommend betting anywhere from $50-$125 depending on how loose your opponent is and how strong you think there hand might be.

The goal on the river is to bet an amount where your opponent has the pot odds to call you. If there are straights out there or you think they might have a lower flush then they will be more inclined to call a pot sized bet. If they have been calling down to the river with two pairs or such a hand then they might not call a pot sized bet and you might need to make it a smaller bet such as $50 so that they practically have too call. A value bet on the river isn’t successful unless your opponent calls you so you will need to work through some trial and error to find the right amount to bet, but once you have the art of value betting down you’ll find you get paid off a lot more then players who just go all-in with the nuts.