Texas Holdem Strategy

chillin411 · Joined: 22 Jan 2005 Posts: 803 Location: Florida

http://www.internettexasholdem.com/poker-columnists/matthew-hilger-aka-mchilger/raising-draws-for-value/

"I read a lot of hand examples and answer a lot of questions in the forum at my website, and there are some common errors that I consistently see. Beginning players, and even some players with a decent amount of experience, have misconceptions on when they should raise and when they should call. In general, a player should raise when he has the best hand. Most players understand this. What they don’t understand is how to define the best hand. "

simonjjj · Joined: 02 Dec 2004 Posts: 340 Location: WATFORD, UK

Basically Matthew is saying raise your draws when he have 3/4 players in the pot, yes? I can see how this work however, if i hit a nut flush draw on the flop and raise everyone else after they have flat called then there maybe a chance that i get re-raised by someone slowplaying a monster like a set?

fep · 53o Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 3107

TheWhale · Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 2:58 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the article Matthew. My friend and I were just talking about this very situation a few days ago and wondering how to handle it. Some very good information in that article.

My question is: I play mostly NL. If I raise after 2 or 3 callers and get reraised, then what? For example:

Say I am on the button and hold Ac10c with a flop of 8c 10d 5c. 1 players bet s, the other calls, and I raise. Player 1 reraises a hefty amount (not sure what a hefty amount technically is), player 2 folds. My decision here is? I know it depends on the situation, how much is in the pot, etc. but do you have a general feel for what the play is? I would assume Player 1 has an over-pair or flopped a set (assuming a solid player).

mchilger · Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 10:28 pm Post subject:

The Whale, the situation if very different in NL for the reason you gave. A player could possibly reraise you out of the pot depending on the stack sizes.

For this reason, you wouldn't raise nearly as often. In NL, you will often just call hoping to hit a big hand. Of course, a raise is a decent play if you think you might be able to take the pot. But in NL, you should rarely risk losing out on a big draw by putting yourself in a situation where your opponent could drive you out of the pot.

Let's say you do raise and your opponent reraises, here are some of the things you should think about:
- You are about 4 to 1 to hit the flush on the turn card. Are you getting good pot odds to draw? If you hit, are you getting good implied pot odds? The implied pot odds depend a lot on the type of opponent you are playing and the stack sizes.
- If the player raises all-in, you now face a decision with 2 cards to come which is about 2 to 1 to hit your flush. Are you getting the pot odds to make the call (depends on the amount of the raise and the amount in the pot).
- Is there a possibility that your opponent might fold if you put him all-in? Let's assume you put him on an overpair. Your opponent might fold if you have enough to reraise him back. The combination of the probability that he will fold along with the probability of you improving your hand should he call might make that a profitable play.

All of these things are discussed a little further in my next book which should be out in May or June.

Matthew

checkmate · Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 8:04 am Post subject:

Thanks for the article Matthew. I can't wait to read the book. Very Happy

Dire · 1K Club Joined: 21 Oct 2005 Posts: 1965

I was actually thinking about this exact topic the other day. There also is another good reason to raise your draws before they hit, that I haven't seen much writing about. Raising is not only for value on the current street, but to improve your opponents' pot odds on later streets! By improving their odds on later streets, you indirectly improve your chances of extracting more value from your hand on later streets, after it hits. This holds especially true for draws where your pot equity is pretty much the same regardless of how many opponents you're facing. Namely, if you're drawing to the nuts.

mchilger · Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 6:36 am Post subject:

Dire, that's a good point. Let's say you have a flush draw against two opponents on the flop. You are about 2 to 1 to hit your draw so you are basically indifferent to how many bets go into the bet on the flop. By raising the flop, you build a bigger pot on the turn. Your opponents are more likely to chase with a bigger pot on the turn. I always take the aggressive play in "borderline" situations between calling and raising but had never thought about this small benefit before.

Good point Dire. Matthew

checkmate · Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 8:27 pm Post subject:

Your basically giving a player with few outs (gut-shot) the pot odds to keep playing. Nice article and discussion.

Thanks guys.

Dire · 1K Club Joined: 21 Oct 2005 Posts: 1965

That acknowledgement means alot to me coming from the author of the book that taught me how to play this great game. Thanks Matthew! Very Happy

bpgui · 2K Club Joined: 17 Oct 2005 Posts: 2380 Location: Illinois

I have a question to clarify my thinking:

fep · 53o Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 3107

ResumeMan · Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 11:06 pm Post subject:

mchilger · Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 9:08 am Post subject:

Agreed. Capping is the only correct play in that situation.

Matthew

jeffnc · 53o Joined: 13 Jan 2004 Posts: 7148 Location: NC, USA

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