Tags:
Advanced, Beginners, Hold' em, Limit Pot Limit, No Limit, Ring games
End game
Most major decisions with big pocket pairs will be made on the flop in three-bet pots. In standard pots your thought process on the turn and river should be value value value. Betting will almost always be best move when you likely have the best hand. Lets say you have A-K on Ad-10s-8s and continuation bet in position. What should you do if the turn comes 8h, 2s or Qh? The answer is bet bet bet! Generally your opponents will play inline and face up. Betting for value should be your mantra. If you get check raised then tackle that hurdle when you come to it.
If you are playing super aggressive or tricky opponents and the board is pretty yucky, then you can start to check back the turn for pot control, in an effort to get to showdown cheaper. Out of position we should be more inclined to check in thin/marginal spots unless our image is insane or our opponent is a fish. For example if you have A-A on a K-10-9 board, on the 8 turn you might check if your image was straightforward but should bet if you are viewed poorly or your opponent is a fish. Against unthinking opponents and most weak regulars, a check raise on the turn means a big hand.
On the river
On the river it should be pretty clear if you have the best hand or not – just don’t forget the value. If you are in position and have seen a board of Q-5-2-9-7 against a tight aggressive player, his most likely holding is a decent Queen. In this situation you should value bet the river. Keep you bet sizes in line with what you think your opponent will be able to call with. Say you check back a flop of K-4-3 with Q-Q. Your image is loose aggressive and the pot is $40. The turn is a 10 and you bet $25 and the river is a 7. Depending on your table image and the dynamics of the table you might value bet this. Your opponent has to be a thinking player for you to bet here – not some robot who sees A-10 on a King-high board versus a bet and automatically folds – otherwise you will value cut yourself more often than value bet.