Calling is often not so bad

You've no doubt heard from a lot of people that the main thing in poker is to call as little as possible when you raise and fold when you can't raise.

Perhaps this is a useful tip for the irregular player who hasn't yet seen how strong aggression can be. But I also think this is pretty limited advice, and doesn't fully explain how to play in a number of general situations.

Calling is often not so bad. This is especially true when you have a position and still have a lot of money. The ability to wait and see is a powerful positional weapon, and if you get too impatient with putting money in the middle of the table, you will lose it.

For example, let's say we're on CO with QJ and full stack in $2-$5. Several players limp and you raise to 25$. Everyone except the big blind and another limper folds. There are three remaining in the game with a pot of $82.

The flop comes QT7 with two crosses. The big blind checks and the limper bets $45. Limper is an aggressive player, but not a maniac. He could bet with hands like flush draws and straight draws, top pair, and maybe even a weak pair. But he would also bet with two pair or a set. How should we play?

I highly recommend just calling. Top pair is probably not strong enough to profitably play stacks with, and if we raise the pot is big enough for the next bet to tie all of our money to it.

If we call, the big blind raises and the limper shoves, then we fold easily. If, more likely, the big blind folds and we are left face to face with the limper on the turn, then that's great. If a good card comes in on the turn, such as an unmasked 4, and our opponent checks, we will value bet. If a bad card comes in, for example Ace, and our opponent makes a big bet, then we fold. If a good card comes in and our opponent bets, we will have to make a decision. Calling will keep us in the hand and allow us to gather more information before we make a final decision on our stack. This is the strength of position.

Whenever you have position and a large stack, you are in a flexible situation. Sometimes it's good to keep your opponents guessing.

In limit hold'em, protecting your hand is a central strategy. If you have top pair on the flop and someone is attacking you, you will often have to raise at. One goal is to grow the pot with the best hand. But another important goal is to protect your hand, or really to protect the pot. Since the pot is usually quite large compared to the size of the raise (one bet), it usually makes sense to raise an extra raise in an unclear situation to try to fold your opponents and increase your chances of winning. If you do get reraised, this is still not a big deal considering the size of the pot. Most good limit hold'em players develop the flop raising reflex. They raise top pair, draws, middle pair, and sometimes overcards or even trash. Since the pot is quite large relative to the raise, it is not too bad to do this.

However, in No Limit Hold'em, you must unlearn this reflex and rethink aggression. Sometimes the pot is still large in relation to betting (usually in the case of short stacks or when a lot of money went preflop). In this case, often the best solution is to push and pray. But when the pot is small and the stacks are deep, the risk / reward ratio no longer justifies rough aggression. If you hit top pair on the flop and charge it with raises and reraises at breakneck speed, you could end up loosely attached to a pot that was small before the action, which is bad.

When the pot is small, protecting your hand, and in reality protecting the pot, is of little value because there is little to defend. If you miss with a raise and someone is drawing, it won't be a big deal to fold before you lose most of your stack. In other words, with top pair on the flop in a small pot, you have two main priorities: capitalizing on the worst hands and avoiding losing the big pot. Losing a small bank is not so bad. You should benefit from the worst hands without losing much of your stack.

Often, the best way to meet both of these conditions is to play the flop slowly, i.e. calling. With a position you will always have
This is the final opportunity for value betting. This way, on the later streets, you will have the opportunity to build a medium-sized pot that matches your top pair. By simply calling, you avoid inflating bets and keep a comfortable pot for your hand strength.

Calling may be the best option, even if there are still several opponents in the game. there is no particular need to protect your hand, just like limit hold'em. If anyone is improving, it is still not so bad considering the small pot. You must avoid losing a big pot, and to put it bluntly, you are more likely to lose a big pot if you build it by raising.

Naturally, with top pair you should also raise occasionally. When playing against a loose playable opponent or a loose and predictable opponent, you shouldn't be very afraid of losing a big pot, because an aggressive player will increase the pot with often worse hands, and a loose predictable player won't want to make big moves without a monster. But raising is far from necessary, and often the best option is to simply call and watch your opponents. If someone folds and your opponent checks on the turn, then you have the opportunity to value bets on the turn and river. On the other hand, if a raising war breaks out, you can safely fold, knowing that your position, coupled with a wait-and-see strategy, has saved you a lot of money.

Author: Lizzy Harrison.
Translation: Sergey "FreakStyle" Panfilov.