Poker Lesson 13: Don't Miss Bets

Poker is all about the pot. Without the financial aspect of poker, the chance of taking money from friends and strangers alike, you might as well give the game up and only play “crazy eights” during family gatherings. If you are going to make the most of game, you must be sure to get value out of your hands.

Anybody can win with Aces in Texas Hold’em. If you have trouble taking advantage while holding deuces, perhaps “Hungry Hungry Hippos” is more your speed. Being a winning player is about more than the cards though. With patience and solid play, a competitor can be a winning player. There is a difference between a winning player, and a rich one. Once someone has gotten their game down, the next step in their development is to get the absolute maximum amount of money out of every hand.

Most people know what to do with a strong hand, when they are absolutely sure they will win, but most players fail to bet aggressively when they think they are only winning by a slim margin. For example, you think your opponent is holding an AQ and you have an AK sitting in your hand you want to bet your hand for the full value of the hand. Your bet will force the opponent to call or fold. If your opponent calls, their call is what you would classify as an “extra bet”. It is considered extra because most players would check at the river.

One of the most important aspects of not missing bets is your understanding of the table you are at. If you’re starting hand is QQ, and you raise before the flop. There can be some confidence here. Your starting hand can only be beaten by an AA or KK. Probability dictates that chances are in your favor that your QQ are the top starting hand. If the other players are likely to be intimidated by that raise, you may force some people to fold prematurely. If they have left the hand, they won’t be contributing to the pot. The value you could have gotten for your hand has just decreased by one better.

Conversely, if you are at an aggressive table that is likely to call your raise, or even re-raise you, not showing aggression will cost you extra bets that will pour from the wallets of loose players.

Obviously there is no hard rule here. Your observation skills, pot odd calculations (you want the pot odds in your favor to get full value for a hand), and personality of the other players will be important to your table management and getting full value for the hand you have.