Big pairs after the flop

By Alex Martin


comments Wednesday 17 Jun 2009 07:00

Your post-flop strategy should be influenced by how you have played pre-flop. You should have a rough idea of your opponents’ range and be evaluating how to get value from your hand. Big pocket pairs unimproved should generally be played strongly on the flop. They decrease significantly in strength on connected boards and are hazardous to play out of position on some flops. Flops like 4-5-6 are obviously going to connect with loose players opposed to tight players.

Folding

Sometimes you will have a big pocket pair and it will be clear that you are crushed. If an incredibly tight player three-bets you then fires a full pot bet on a K-7-4 board, Q-Q is no good. On boards where your hand strength is unclear and your opponents range is almost certainly super strong folding is fine.

Continuation betting

If you had the lead pre-flop, you should continuation bet an awful lot of flops out of position. Say you raised pre-flop with Q-Q and see a A-X-X flop. A Continuation bet here is fine and standard. Check-calling and check-folding are also fine but continuation betting a reasonably strong holding will be the best play.

Checking back

If you are in position, you can check back more hands on the flop, as you are in position and will get to control action on later streets. Let’s imagine you open A-A on the button and a bad regular calls in the blinds. The flop comes 2-2-8 or J-6-3 or Q-9-5. On these boards you want to check to let opponents try and bluff you. Imagine your opponent has K-Q on the 2-2-8 board, he will likely check-fold. Now what happens when you check back and a Queen drops? The trick is to understand your hand strength and the likelihood of an opponent making a better hand when you let one more roll off. So long as you have good post-flop skills, free cards can make you more money.

Facing a raise

Say you continuation bet Q-Q on a 5h-6s-8s board with and face a raise this is player dependant situation too. If the opponent is fairly tight, I’d have no problem folding Q-Q to his raise. If the guy was a LAG, we should have no problem getting the money in here. If the player was a TAG it would be better to call and then get the money in on a non-flush/Ace turn.
 


Comments

Well, it,s a good anylisis but i could understand it better if it will be translate to spanish, for when a good traduction to other language? we play and spend our money too here

Comment by Ramone01 - 24/06/09 (Report)

I think it's more on what players you are against.
When playing poker at my office I would never fold QQHappy
On PKR that could be the case.

Comment by e2ardas - 21/06/09 (Report)

I always have this problem, i always want to hold onto pocket queens or kings when Ace come out on flop and someone bets or raises. Maybe its worth while letting them go

Comment by AbzisaLedge - 17/06/09 (Report)

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