473 Articles
Advanced search

Advanced search
Keyword search:


Tag search: Select all Deselect all


Filter articles

Playing big pockets after the turn and river

Taking your big pockets to the limit, Alex Martin looks at turn and river play.

By Alex Martin on Wednesday 17 Jun 2009 07:00


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.
 


Comments

biu

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

Leave a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.
Register



Join the game now!

Download the world's most advanced poker room. Read more »

More from Raise your game

Latest comments

will watch these 4 to 3 times as im a bit thick and give time for the information to sink in, been playing fr, need a change.very interesting ill see how i go on thx

From matrixxs 1 day ago
about VIDEO: An introduction to 6-max


I love Vlad Beyne as a player, he is my favorite and love his style always have,, Also ref to my last comment Danski :) all i was thinking about Danski, was making profit for myself easily so i was being a bit selfish really.and the game and i suppose. the game will become more challengng and fun as time go's on and it keeps evolving which is a good thing, I suppose a poker profit dream of keeping poker pro skill in dark is a thing of the distant past lol. But yes the game will always be getting better i hope due to more clued up players.

From pokerblot 2 day ago
about Play like Beyne


that game was great

From libby66509 4 day ago
about Bluff raising on the river

Raise Your Game
Play like Beyne

Become aggressive, unpredictable and hard to read with the help of the Mad Russian

12 days ago

Handling swings

Like death and taxes, swings are unavoidable when you’re a poker player – learn to handle them prope...

18 days ago

Bluff raising on the river

Knowing when to pull a big move on the river requires more than just bravery

21 days ago

Party at the Palms
News & Events
PKR Social

Meet your PKR buddies and put names to faces...

VOTE: Player of the Month for January

Swiss shark or English Master? You decide

19 hours ago

WSOP Experience: Will you be there?

Prepare yourself for the poker holiday of a lifetime

22 hours ago