Betting with Aggression
In the lesson “Betting for Beginners“, we talked about the basics of betting, raising and calling. In this lesson we’ll take things a step further and teach you how and why you should bet in specific situations to maximize value. Remember that an aggressive style of poker is more profitable in the long run, so the teachings in this lesson relate to situations in which you can apply this style. Aggression is not only important because it allows you win more pots, but because it also prevents your opponents from gaining chips as well.
Betting Pre-Flop
There are many reasons to raise pre-flop in hold’em poker. However it’s important that you think about the result you hope to achieve before betting. Here are some clear objectives you should be considering:
Attacking Limpers in Position
When the blinds and antes increase as a tournament goes on, the money in the pot becomes more valuable. As your stack size decreases in relation to these chips in the pot, the need to change gears and become more aggressive also increases. Good tournament players know this, but the great thing about poker is that not everyone is a good player. You will find that many poker players do not properly adjust to the rising blinds and will still just limp hoping to see a flop for cheap. These players will often hold a hand like a middle suited connector, A-rag suited or some marginal high card combination such as KT or QJ.
When you are in late position it is often a profitable play to raise the limpers when you sense weakness. Of course, it’s best to make this sort of play against those who have shown to be passive or won’t call you out of spite because they are emotionally connected to their hand. As we mentioned in betting for beginners, the correct amount to raise is around 3x the big blind + 1 big blind for every limper. However, be conscious of your stack size. A good rule of thumb is that you should have at least a 10M stack (M = your stack divided by the size of the pot pre-flop) to make this play if the table is playing passive and even closer to 15M for a looser table. You can make this play with a smaller stack size, but in those cases it is best to push all-in. As with any steal situation, you must make sure that the players left to act don’t have stack sizes that are going to commit you to calling their all-in unless you are prepared to call with the hand you are raising with.
So what hands do you need to make this play? Since the goal is to steal dead money, look for hands that are not premiums but can still flop reasonably well if you are called. How loose or tight your style is (as well as your table image) will dictate this somewhat. But since the point is to get others to fold, hands that work well are suited connectors, face card combinations, small pocket pairs and A8+. Of course, you are making this play because you have position too, so if you get called be prepared to make a continuation bet on most flops.
No Free Flops
This concept is very similar to attacking limpers but it applies specifically to blind vs. blind battles. Once the blinds and antes become valuable, you should almost always raise from the big blind if the small blind limps. You should be conscious of your table image and try not to become predictable, but in most situations you should not allow the small blind to come into the pot for free. Not only will you have position on them if they call, you are also setting a pattern that if they want to play, they better be prepared to risk their chips. This will cause them to give you a walk in future orbits, allowing you to pick up free pots.
Betting Post-Flop
Now we’ll discuss betting strategies and tactics for post-flop play in hold’em. Remember that you should always formulate a plan and have a reason for your actions.
Continuation Bets
A continuation bet is a bet on the flop after you have raised pre-flop. These bets are successful because you have represented a strong hand and now you are "continuing" with that representation. It has often been said that you should always continuation bet. While this is usually good advice and you should air on the side of aggression, to say you should "always" do something is lazy man’s poker. You cannot ignore your opponent and their tendencies, or the texture of the flop. Having said all of that, a continuation bet is usually the best play and you should consider the following when using them:
- Bet Sizing – What are you communicating about your hand? Make sure your bet tells an accurate story. For example, you raise in the cut-off position and the big blind calls and checks a flop of A
7
9. If you had an Ace, how much would you bet knowing those draws are out there? If you only bet 1/3 of the pot, is it believable that you have an ace? Probably not. Most continuation bets should be around ½ to 2/3 of the pot, but there are several factors such as the flop texture, table image and stack sizes that you should take into effect in addition to the story you are telling. - Number of Players – The number of players who called your pre-flop raise is also a major factor that will determine if you should continuation bet or not. As a good rule of thumb, you should never bluff the flop against three other players. In fact, you should also be cautious when deciding to bluff into two other players, depending on the other factors involved in the hand.
The Probe Bet
A probe bet refers to a bet made into a pre-flop raiser. Let’s say you call a raise from the big blind with 77 and the flop comes A65. Many poker authors used to recommend putting out a probe-bet or a "feeler bet" – about ½ the size of the pot to gain information about the strength of your hand. While this isn’t necessarily wrong, the game of poker has evolved over the last few years and a good aggressive player will tell you exactly what the strength of your hand is by raising your probe bet on a bluff. If you have a good read on your opponent and know he is a more conservative player, you can still probe bet profitably since they will likely not raise you without a better hand. However, now days it is often better to check-raise to define the strength of your opponents hand rather than bet and be put to a decision.
Check-Raising
There are several situations in which check-raising can be applied. While there are too many details to go into for this lesson, you should have a basic understanding of common situations in which you can use the check-raise.
- Define the strength of your hand – While this can yield more accurate information about your hand in relation to your opponents, the down side is that it is more expensive
- Bluff – In most cases, the check-raise represents a very strong hand so it can be a very powerful move to bluff with, especially if you feel like your opponent will almost always continuation bet.
- Commit your opponent – If the stack sizes are right, you can induce your opponent to bet by checking and force him to call your raise because the amount he has to call is so small in relation to the pot.
- Induce a re-raise – If you are playing against someone who makes decisions with their ego, a check-raise can induce an emotional reaction, making them want to push back at you.
Value betting
As we’ve already mentioned, an aggressive betting style is crucial in poker. But when it comes to the river and you have a potentially winning hand, you should be thinking about value betting – which is essential to your poker profit margins. Even when you have a great hand it’s not as easy as – "I know I have the best hand and I know I can get paid off". More frequently you will possess a medium strength hand and have questions as to how to proceed. Here is a check list to consider as you get ready to either lead out with a bet or respond to an opponent’s bet or check.
- Will you get called? There is always risk when initiating a bet, so if you believe that the likelihood of a call is remote it usually is better to check the hand down.
- Will your opponent check a hand that beats you? If your value bet is a thin one at best, you often are only thinking you’re value betting when, in reality, your opponent has induced you to bluff.
- Will your opponent check raise? The answer to this question obviously lies in your knowledge of your opponent.
- Will he check raise bluff? If you are against a savvy opponent and betting very thin you could invite trouble. If your savvy foe reads you as weak he may well attempt to move you off your hand with a raise.
- If you check will it induce a bluff? Many times, especially with medium strength hands, a check to induce a bet/bluff is the best and safest way to go.
Use Your Chips as Weapons
As you can see, there are several factors that go into the decision to make a bet or raise. Your image, stack sizes and your opponents betting tendencies are just a few. Aggressive play is important, but strategic aggression is what gets results. Don’t just throw your chips out there every chance you get. Use your chips as weapons, but think about the result you hope to achieve and craft your bets accordingly. Practice doing this on each and every hand and you’ll soon master the art of betting with aggression.
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