Three mistakes on the river

Although the river is the easiest street to play, mediocre players sometimes make serious mistakes during this phase of the game. In this article, we'll take a look at these errors and explain why they are so expensive.

Mistake # 1: Bet out of nowhere

"Out of nowhere" is a term that is very suitable to describe situations when a bet is made when no one expects it at all, or when it seems that there is no reason for it. In most games of limit hold'em, and especially in the low limit games, players are prone to calling even when they have almost nothing. It is difficult to explain what they are guided by in doing so. Most likely this is due to the tendency of our consciousness to memorize exceptions to the rules much better than those events that confirm this rule. Although most players "know" that calling the river with an unimproved closed pair of 3s on a board of K 9 7 5 4 - stupid, they would rather remember that about six months ago they folded at that moment, and their opponent, as it turned out, was bluffing. But what they completely forget is the million times that their opponent ended up with the top pair.

Your opponents will not look for excuses to call your bet, especially on the river. Which means you need to be extra careful when you decide to bluff. As a rule, I only bluff on the river when I have already done something to bluff. That is, I could have made the first bet on the turn, or semi-bluffing, check-raise the flop, or whatever makes the river bet less suspicious.

Although the so-called "out of nowhere" bet can take many forms, take a look at the following example:

You are in the small blind and you have 5 6... The early position player calls, the two middle position players also call, and the button does the same. You call and the big blind checks. The flop brings A 9 3... You check, the player in early position bets, the next player calls, and so do you. Turn opens J... You check again, the one in early position also checks, the next player folds. You call. The river comes 2.

A bluff bet at the moment will be considered a "out of nowhere" bet. Never before in this game did you show any aggression, and how the last two could help you, and even more so it will be incomprehensible to the player in the early position. Although the pot is large enough to justify your bluff, note that the bet will look very suspicious. In fact, it will look exactly what it really is: a complete bluff with a completely losing hand. Of course, your opponent may also have an unfinished hand, in which case he should in theory fold (although the fact that he bet at a five-player table with an ace flop suggests that he should have at least at least be a pair of aces). But the problem is that your opponents can easily call bets with the stupidest hands, right. If you are planning to bluff on the river, do it when your opponents are expecting your bet, at least they will not be very shocked by it. You very much discourage your opponents when, for no apparent reason, you suddenly start throwing chips around. And discouraged players, especially in limit hold'em, are very inclined to support bets with a wide variety of combinations on hand. For bluffing to be profitable, you must be able to convince opponents to fold at least a couple of hands that would beat you. And in cases like this, you don't have that opportunity.

Mistake # 2: Raising a good but not strong hand in multi-pot games

Another serious mistake. It is about raising the bet of a player whose hand you may be able to beat, but with a combination on hand, which may well be beaten by a player who has not yet said his word in the trade. Here's an example:

You're in middle position and you have Q in your arms J, one player in front of you gets called, so do you, and so do the two players behind you. The button calls, just like the two blinds. The flop brings K T 7... The small blind bets and two players fold behind him. You call and the next two players do the same. The button raises the ante, everyone supports it. The turn shows 4... The small blind bets again, you call, and the three players behind you (including the button) just call. The river turns 9... The small blind bets.

Now you should just call. And that's why:

1) It's possible that someone behind you - or the small blind - has a flush.

2) A regular call can convince someone with a slightly weaker hand than yours to call too, while your raise could scare him and force him to fold.

3) If you raise your bet, you may find yourself in a very unpleasant situation if someone makes a third bet. And you either have to fold after the next bet on the river (that is, do something that you clearly do not want to turn into a habit), or call with a clearly weak hand. Both options are unattractive.

And simply calling in this situation is doing the right thing. To verify this, imagine the player behind you calls and the two remaining players fold. Now, in order for your call to be profitable, you need your hand to be the strongest 33% times, and your hand clearly has an even better chance of winning. But, if your raise puts weaker hands out of the game, then in order for it to be profitable, your hand must win 50% times. After the call, your odds are 2: 1 (assuming there is another caller behind you), and only 1: 1 after the raise (again, assuming the player with a slightly weaker hand folds). Now let's imagine that the player behind you raises. It is clear that you will not like this raise, but now, at least, you will need to invest two more bets in order to open the cards. And if you raised the river and then someone re-raised, you would have to pay three bets already. In addition, a third bet can cause the small blind to fold a weaker hand than yours while he would call if he only had one bet to support. To summarize, your raise will create a situation where only stronger hands will support it. That you are not at all profitable. Conversely, a call will draw out one or two bets from players with weaker hands.

Mistake # 3: Missing an opportunity to bet with a good, but not strongest hand in a heads-up game

Typically, this error can be seen in situations where a player in early position has a fairly strong hand, such as an overpair or top pair with a big kicker, and a horror card comes out on the river. Example:

In early position you have A Q... The player in front of you calls and you raise. The button calls, both blinds fold, and the next player also calls. The flop comes Q 9 6... The first player checks, you bet, the button calls, and the player in early position folds. The turn comes 6... You bet again and the button calls again. River brings 7.

You should place your bet now. Yes, your opponent might have a flush or a straight, or even two pair. But what of this? When you bet, you get the opportunity to make money every time your opponent has a weaker hand. If you check, your opponent will likely check with a hand that you would beat, or bet with a hand that would beat you. So, just by checking, you get nothing if you beat your opponent. Of course, it's fair to say that he can raise your stake. And if this happens, you will have to make a decision. But it's the decision making that makes poker poker. And if you play in such a way that you don't have to make difficult decisions, then you are unlikely to ever become a long-term winner. When you come
By the river with such a hand, your opponent most often has a hand with which he will call in the vast majority of cases, and not a bet, and even more so, not a raise.

Astute gamblers will notice that this game is very similar to the game we discussed in the "Bet from Nowhere" section. Remember that most of your opponents will call, it's just in their blood. And so give them a chance to do it. Despite the fact that there are many nuances in the river, rule number one says: bet when you think that your opponent is inclined to call rather than bet; and check if your opponent tends to bet rather than call. And if you follow this rule, your opponent will shell out money even when he has the worst hand.