Waiting till the turn for more information:

Another bone of contention I have with certain authors is the theory that you should play your hands aggressively on the flop so as to better define your hand, and at the same time, to gain more information from your opponents. This theory is actually very effective in limit hold’em, but that theory doesn’t translate well to no limit tournaments.
The main reason for that, is simple: it’s too expensive. In limit hold’em, a raise represents just one extra unit, but in no limit hold’em, if you are going to raise someone on the flop to “find out where you are at” it will cost you a pretty penny. Let’s look at an example:

With blinds at 50-100 a player from early position makes it 300 and you call with Ah Jh. The big blind calls so three of you see the flop: Ad 8s 3h. The big blind checks and the pre-flop raiser bets out 800. If you were to raise him here, a standard raise would cost you about, say, 2400 in chips. So let’s say you do that, the big blind folds, and now the first raiser calls the bet. What information have you gained exactly? What if the under the gun player re-raises you? Well in this case, it would seem as though you’ve gained some valuable information and your AJ is likely behind. You could fold and take your 2400 loss.
Now, in this same situation, let’s look at the benefits of just calling on the flop and you’ll see that all of the information that cost you 2400 on the flop, you can get with an 800 call on the flop coupled with a reevaluation on the turn.

So now you just call on the flop and the big blind folds. The turn card is a Q and now your opponent bets 1600. You still aren’t sure if your AJ is the best hand, but the fact that your opponent bet again should lean you towards thinking that you are beat. Since you are unsure, though, you call the 1600.

Now, at this point, it’s cost you the exact same amount of chips had you raised on the flop, the only difference is that you’ve made it all the way to the river. To help you figure out the best course of action on the river you have the following information: My opponent raised before the flop and followed through with a continuation bet on the flop. I called the bet, a Queen hit the turn yet my opponent wasn’t afraid and bet once again. I called that bet as well, so if my opponent makes a big bet at the river he has to know that I have a strong hand and am not on a draw.

That’s a lot of information. Your opponent could still bluff you on the river, but the same could be said about his flop re-raise. He may be coming over the top of you on the flop with a weaker ace, or just as a bluff.

There is one other key benefit to smooth calling on the flop in this situation rather than raising: you allow yourself a chance to suck out! If your opponent has, say, AK, bets the 800, you make it 2400, and now he re-raises you off the hand, you’ve just lost 2400 with no chance to get lucky. However, if you just call the flop, you could get really lucky and spike a Jack on the turn or river. Or, you could even make a backdoor flush with the hand and possibly win a big pot.

The only thing that’s better about raising on the flop is that you protect your hand from being outdrawn when you are ahead, and you also get information about your opponents hand quicker. Getting outdrawn with AJ on an A-8-3 rainbow flop should be the least of your concerns. If you are in the lead, then you will be substantially in the lead. A worse ace can only hit one of three kickers, and a pocket pair can only hit one of two cards. The biggest threat is a total of five outs if your opponent has a hand like 8-9. That’s hardly something to be overly concerned about. As for the other benefit, who cares “when” you find out your opponent has you beat? If it costs you no less to see the river, but it takes longer to come to the conclusion that your opponent has you beat, how could that hurt you in the least?

 

Many Texas Hold 'em experts believe you shouldn't put all your money in on a drawing hand.
While that's true in many cases, it doesn't apply to monster draws. A monster draw is one in which you have 14 outs or more -- 14 or more cards that will improve your hand after the flop. Let's say, for example, that you put your opponent on pocket aces or pocket kings. You, on the other hand, hold 6h-7h, and the flop comes 3h-8h-9s. To improve to the best hand, you could hit one of the nine remaining hearts to make a flush, or six other cards -- 10s or 5s -- to fill the straight. Don't include the 10h or 5h because they've already been counted in the flush category. That would certainly be considered a monster draw! You'd have 15 outs with two cards still to come.

In fact, it would make your hand the best hand. Obviously, your seven-high doesn't beat A-A, but your hand will win more often than the aces will; your monster draw will improve to the best hand a little more than 56 percent of the time.

As a rule, 13 outs after the flop makes you very close to 50-50. Fourteen outs makes you a small favorite, and, as I mentioned before, 15 outs makes you a decent favorite over your opponent. So, in knowing this, let's now consider how to play these types of hands after the flop.

Betting on drawing hands after the flop is often called semi-bluffing, but it isn't exactly bluffing when your drawing hand is statistically the best hand, is it?

A semi-bluff gives you two ways of winning the pot: Your bet forces everyone to fold; or, your opponent calls your bet, and you fill your drawing hand. Therein lies the real power of the monster draw.

By playing these hands aggressively you either force your opponent into submission or get all of your money in as a slight favorite. Either outcome is good for you, but having your opponent fold to your aggressive bet produces a slightly better result in the long run. Playing monster draws in this manner will also help add deception to your game; opponents will have a much more difficult time putting you on a hand.

Let me illustrate. Suppose I've raised before the flop with A-A, and the flop comes 9h-3h-6s. Normally, this is an excellent flop for a big pair, as the only real threat, at this point, is someone holding a set (three 9s, three 6s, or three 3s). However, if someone is in fact holding a set, my chances of winning the pot would be slim to none. I'd have only a 9 percent chance of hitting one of the two remaining aces to win the hand. So what should I do if an extremely tight player goes all-in against me on a flop like that?

Well, I'd probably fold my aces. That would be the right play.

If, however, I were playing against a loose opponent who aggressively pushes on big draws, I'd be more likely to call his bet. While it's easy for me to put a tight player on a set and fold, it's trickier to face a loose player who raises my pocket bullets. That's an important lesson. You want that loose and deceptive image for yourself. That way, when you do flop a set, opponents will likely give you action, thinking that maybe you've raised with a drawing hand. Also, it's important that you make your aggressive bet on the flop -- don't wait for the turn.

Here's why: Your odds to win the hand with only one card to come decrease dramatically. A hand with 15 outs after the flop is a 56 percent favorite, but if you don't improve on the turn, that number drops all the way down to 34 percent.

That percentage is so low, that, if your opponent makes a large bet on the turn, he could shut you out of the hand -- something he couldn't do to you on the flop.

 

There's been much written on the subject of playing small pairs in Texas Hold'em. Small pairs consist of 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5 and 6-6. With so many words devoted to the topic, it's obvious that there are opposing theories regarding the best way to play them.

Here are my suggestions.

Unlike higher pairs, small pairs should not be played in all situations. Several factors determine whether you should enter a pot with a small pair: position, chip count, number of players, and cost to play.

In a typical ten-handed game, playing a small pair from early position simply won't show you a profit at the end of the year.

Your chip count and your opponent's stack size are also important considerations when deciding to call. If a player raises to 600 and only has 500 left, it's just not worth trying to catch trips on the flop, since you'll only be able to win an additional 500.

If, however, both you and your opponent have 30,000 in front of you, it makes more sense to see a flop for 600. If you're lucky enough to catch a set on the flop, you'll win a monster pot.

The number of players needs to be a considered, too, especially in a structured, limit game. Small pairs fare fine against one opponent, but generally don't do well in three or four-handed pots. However, if there are five or more players, you'd be getting excellent value. Go ahead and try to hit your set.

Small pairs want to see the flop as cheaply as possible. If someone just calls the big blind in front of you, then you can limp along for the minimum bet, hoping to capitalize after the flop. However, if the blinds are, say, 100-200, and an opponent raises the pot to 1,500, that's just too large a bet for you to stick around.

Once you've actually gotten to a flop, how you proceed depends on the number of opponents in the pot. If there are several players remaining, you should only continue if you flop three of a kind.

Against one or two opponents, though, you've got my green light to take one more shot at winning the pot. When choosing to do that, flop texture is of the utmost importance.

Suppose you're in a three-way pot and the flop comes Qh-10d-9h. This is a horrible flop for your lowly pair of fives; if anyone bets, fold. Even if they don't bet, you shouldn't try a bluff here, since it's far too likely that one of your opponents has something to go with that flop, like J-10 or Q-K.

A better texture would look something like Q-Q-3 or K-7-2.

With these flops, you can go ahead and bet your small pairs. Your opponents will probably fold unless they have a queen or king. If you consider yourself an aggressive player, you might try raising with these hands on occasion.

The best time to raise is when you're looking to steal the blinds. This strategy only works if no one has entered the pot before you. Also, being in late position increases the chances of the play being successful. If you raise from early position, there are too many hands to act behind you that might call.

When you raise with a small pair in position, you must play it strong after the flop. If an opponent in the blind calls your raise, then you must bet on virtually any flop -- even a flop as ugly as A-K-Q! Because you raised pre-flop, he'll think that you improved your hand. If he has a hand like Q-9, you'll probably win the pot with an aggressive bet.

Here's my rule of thumb: When playing small pairs, play them cheaply if you can, and only continue after the flop if you hit your trips.

 

People who read up on Texas Hold'em first learn the hands that are strong enough to play. Most every poker book goes into detail explaining premium hands such as A-A, K-K, Q-Q, A-K, as well as marginal starters like 8-8, 9-9 and A-Q.

However, knowing what cards to start with is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding how to effectively play No Limit Hold'em.

Frankly, it's the easy part.

The real trick to playing this game for profit is learning how much to bet on those hands in various situations. Knowing what cards to play won't be very useful if you continually misplay them by betting the wrong amount.

Betting the right amount is dictated by your skill level.

A novice player should make larger bets than a professional. With blinds at 100-200, I'd recommend that a beginner raise anywhere from 800 to 1,000 chips when he decides to play. An experienced player would be better off raising 500 to 600.

The reason is simple: A novice has a much better chance to win the pot before the flop rather than after it. A player with tons of experience would rather see a flop cheaply and make key decisions after the flop.

Let's look at an example where a professional would fare better after the flop than a novice.

Suppose the beginner holds J-J and raises to 600 before the flop. Three other players call him, and the flop comes Q-7-4. This is a situation where he can get into trouble. While the pocket jacks started out as a strong hand, the flopped queen is a danger card. If someone holds K-Q or A-Q, the jacks will be in bad shape.

So how should you proceed?

Well, an experienced player is better equipped to read his opponents and make an informed decision. If the veteran were holding the jacks, he'd likely know whether they were still strong. The beginner, though, would be in no-man's land.

An advanced player may decide to check and see what develops. He might even make a small, feeler bet -- about a third of the pot.

For beginners, I'd recommend a large bet to define opponents' hands. If there's 2,700 in the middle, go ahead and bet the whole pot.

Until a beginner really knows what he's doing, I'd advise that he make those large raises -- four to five times the amount of the big blind -- before the flop. His post-flop bets should be the size of the pot.

Ideally, though, the goal is to become experienced enough to make smaller bets. That is the most effective strategy.

For those of you ready to take that next step, it's time to think about what your bet is accomplishing. Because you and your opponents will miss the flop a high percentage of the time, most of your post-flop bets should be made to obtain valuable information.

Let's say, for example, you hold 9-9, and raise to 600. The big blind is the only caller. The flop comes A-7-4 and the big blind checks to you.

Even though the ace is a huge scare card, making a bet here will accomplish two things: You'll protect your hand if you're ahead, and you'll also define your opponent's hand.

A small bet of 200 simply won't give you enough information; your opponent will call such a small bet with a wide variety of hands. Now, if you bet the pot, 1,300, you'll definitely get the information you're looking for.

But is it necessary to risk that much? If you bet 1,100, wouldn't you get that same information? Yes, you sure would. So, make an assertive yet careful bet, something like 900 -- approximately two-thirds of the pot.

By betting about two-thirds of the pot, instead of the entire amount, you'll save a little bit of money on your bluff attempts. It will also define your opponent's hand. As a bonus, you'll get extra calls when you do catch a monster hand.