Stop before it's too late

Every year in America, players squander a thousand after a thousand hard-won money because they persist in playing with cards in their hands that have not been improved by the flop. Though, I'll probably be the first to admit that the flop doesn't have to bring you a great card in order to continue. In fact, you will have every right to see the turn more than once with a weak combination on hand. But only if the pot size justifies the game. However, as you will soon see, such cases are rather the exception.

Many seasoned limit poker players have a quirky and fluid playstyle. Some, for example, can quickly play the minimum hand, while others will continue, only with a more than good combination. I have met quite a few consistently winning players and I can say that they are like snowflakes - you will never see two exactly the same. But they all have one thing in common: they really value the ability to stop when there are bad cards in their hands, and when many players are vying for a small pot. There are practically no exceptions in this case. Most of the pots you will fight for will be no more than eight small bets before the flop, and in the vast majority of cases, the flop will bring you very little or nothing. It follows that any self-respecting player should know when to stop and exit the game after the flop.

In poker, the most important decisions are those that have to be made very often. Take pre-flop play for example. Most good players agree that preflop play is the easiest to master. However, due to the relative simplicity of this stage of the game, it is difficult to understand that this is the most important point. Precisely because with every hand you are faced with the need to make a decision even before the flop, the likelihood of error at this stage is much higher, on any other street. The same (but to a slightly lesser extent) applies to the flop. During the game, much more often than after the turn and river, you have to make decisions after the flop, for the simple reason that the player sees a lot more flops than turns and rivers. In addition, unpleasantly, flop errors provoke other errors. For example, after the flop, you make the minimum call and get the turn, which helps you very little, but before you figure it out, you'll spend an extra three bets to see the river. Needless to say, these kinds of situations are expensive, especially if they happen all the time.

Since calling instead of passing is the most common mistake made by inexperienced players, in this article we decided to look at situations where a beginner cannot resist the temptation to call, and an experienced player folds. Of course, knowing when to get rid of a hand is not enough to play a hand cool after the flop. Still, it’s a very good first to learn how to pass correctly.

Underpair drawing

By underpair we mean a hole-card pair that is lower than the highest card on the board. If you have a closed pair of eights, the flop comes 9-4-3, or KT-2, or A-7-6, then you have what is called an underpair.

The underpair is by no means a good hand, in fact, it is a very bad hand that should be eliminated at the first opportunity. This goes for closed triplets with T-9-6 on the board, as well as closed kings with exposed AT-7. None of these options are worthwhile. And there is very little hope for improvement because there are only two cards in the deck (corresponding to your dignity), which can help you without helping your opponent.

Are there any cases when you can continue to play with an underpair in your hands? Actually, yes. If, for example, you have a pair of sevens on hole cards, the flop comes T 5 5, everyone said "check" before you, and fewer than five players are competing for the pot, then you can make a bet. But if someone bet before your move, it's best to fold, because just as the chances of being beaten are high, the chances of improving to the strongest hand are unlikely.

Without strengthening the hand on the flop, many players can easily say “fold” with minor underpairs; but for some unknown reason, they do not find the strength to do the same with the older closed pairs. Give them a pair of kings and they will rush to the river and will surely fail even if an ace hits the flop. I cannot explain this phenomenon. Perhaps the size of their starting hand delights them so much that they cannot believe they have been defeated. In any case, you can be sure that if you have an underpair in your hands, and before you someone made or raised the bet, then passing is the best thing you can do.

Middle or bottom pair and nothing left

When you have A in your arms Tand the flop comes K T 6, it turns out that you have an average pair. When you have K 2and the flop is T 3 2then you have a bottom pair.

Mediocre players often grab hold of these hands, hoping to grab two pair or three after the turn, believing the potential odds are good enough. They think like this: "The probability of buying the desired card on the turn is 1 to 9, therefore the ratio of the amount of money in the pot to the amount of the bet that I have to call is 8: 1. There are 5 bets in the pot now. If I support the bet and then improve the hand, then after the turn I will be able to take two big bets and one bet after the river, which will make me win 14 small bets with just one. This is definitely better than 8: 1, so I think I should call. "

Such reflections are not bad at all as long as they are justified, but in fact, it is often impossible to take into account all the points. First, if the board is two suited, then you can improve your hand and run into a flush at the same time (if the card you want complements your opponent's flush). And this option will cost you dearly. Secondly, there is no guarantee at all that your opponent himself did not buy two pair or three on the flop, which, if your hand improves, gives you only the second strongest combination with which you will not do anything. Thirdly, if your position is relatively close, then if you call, you may then face a raise that will force you to make two (or more) bets just to see the turn.

In some cases, holding hands like this may not be a stupid idea. For example, if you have "something else" in hand, such as an incomplete flush, or if your kicker is an overcard. Again, if the pot is huge, it makes sense to support the bet, as if successful the reward will be very large. But when the pot is medium-sized, calling with these hands and nothing left is nothing more than down the drain.

Gat Shot Bringing No Candy

Another serious mistake. If you have 7 6and the flop shows Q T 8, you shouldn't have any desire to buy, because any nine will give a straight to the player with the jack in his hand. The same applies to cases when you have something like A 7and the flop shows T 9 6 and while this is not as bad as the previous example, note that even if you are lucky, you still have to split the pot with whoever has a seven, and a card like an eight will put you in a very difficult position.

Taking a swim in the hope of a gat-shot is a fairly correct tactic; in fact, if a rainbow comes out on the flop (three different suits) and you are drawing in anticipation of a candy for a straight, you can continue to draw even if the pot-to-bet ratio is only 7: 1. And although the odds of buying a straight are 1:11, you go for it because if you are lucky you will have the strongest hand. And it costs a lot. But you should not do this if, if you buy the card you need, there is a possibility that only the second-strongest hand will come to you, or you will have to split the pot with another player.

As with the second or bottom pair, it is sometimes worth pulling to a gut shot that doesn’t give all the candy only if you have a fallback. If, for example, for the same A 7 on hand, the flop showed T 9 6then buying two clubs on the turn and river will give you the strongest flush. The opened eight will not give anyone a flush, and the caught ace will also lead you to the leaders. But before choosing such a tactic, you need to be fairly sure that after all the cards are revealed, you are not left with the second largest hand.