The key to working out what a bet on the flop may mean is, of course, flop texture, but identifying standard betting patterns can also help you make better decisions. Each player will have their own foibles, but most will change the amount they bet based on three main factors – the number of opponents who see the flop, their hand strength and the texture of the flop. Here are three classics that you’ll see time and time again.
The min-bet
You’ll often see a situation where the preflop raiser bets the minimum on the flop. So at 10/20 blinds, having raised to 60 preflop and received one caller they’ll bet 20 into a pot of 120-150 on the flop. Quite often this will occur when the board has an obvious draw on it – usually a flush draw – and they’re min-betting because they want to draw to it as cheaply as possible, but at the same time they don’t want to concede control of the pot either in or out of position.
The pot bet/overbet
This is another classic giveaway bet which usually occurs on a wet flop that could contain a number of draws such as Qh-Th-6s. Usually the bettor is betting such a large amount because he has a strong but vulnerable hand such as top pair, good kicker or an overpair and doesn’t want to give his opponent(s) a good price to outdraw him. Given the draw-heavy nature of the board the raiser is quite happy to win the pot right here, right now.
The donk lead
The donk lead occurs when you’re the preflop raiser, you get a call from an opponent out of position and then they bet into you on the flop. When they do this their hand generally falls into one of three categories. First, their hand could be very strong – they’ve flopped a set or two pair and are trying to build a pot or force you into committing a big mistake by raising them on the flop. This play is made to disguise their hand on a dry board, as check-raising is often too much of a giveaway on a dry board. Second, your opponent may have a marginal hand and is betting for information. For instance, they hold 7-7 on a J-5-3 flop. The third and final reason for the donk bet is that they’ve missed the flop, can’t possibly call a bet out of position and are hoping to take it down on either a very dry or very wet board.
Working out which of these is the case is not necessarily easy, but, assuming you continue in the hand, another street of action will usually provide the information you need.