Online Poker Strategy Articles

Jeff Henry

You already know, if you are fairly good at poker, when to call with a draw. And you have a good idea of what hands to re-raise with pre-flop. And no doubt you have executed, or at least witnessed someone trap/limp under the gun with pocket aces. I have a few twists on these scenarios to share.

If you have a draw, and the bettor makes a large bet, the size of the pot or more, then most of the time the price is too high to call that bet to try and hit a flush draw. You want to see the turn and river cards as cheaply as possible to see if you hit your draw. Most people check that flush draw and hope the bettor makes a small bet, such that the price is right to draw to that flush.

What I do, sometimes anyway, is lead out with a small bet, like 50 into a pot of 250. Sometimes they will fold, of course. Fine. Sometimes, they aren't sure what I have and they call. I get my cheap turn card. Often times they feel they have the best hand and they raise. I am not sure why, but often they will raise the minimum, say from my bet of 50 to 100 total. Perhaps that's just because they're not sure how much to raise or because they are not sure their hand is best, or maybe its just laziness because the minimum raise is what is up on the screen unless they increase it. Either way, I have accomplished my goal of seeing more cards cheaply to see if I hit my draw.

The next tip is about re-raising pre-flop. Many people have tried a late position steal over a bunch of limpers. This is a different wrinkle on that. If you are a fairly decent player, you have an idea of which hands you play preflop and how you play them when there is a raise in front of you. Most people, most of the time, I assume, will fold to a raise with AJ, but might call with TT or JJ or 99. With AA or KK, you'd likely re-raise. AJ might open the betting if first into the pot, or even A10 or KT suited. So let us suppose someone opens a pot and two people call behind him. You have that AJ I mentioned on the button or the small blind. I occasionally re-raise big with that AJ. Why' You are up against an opening hand, which might be very strong, but is often AT or worse or KT suited or some middle pair. The callers behind him likely are not super strong, or else they would have reraised him. This play shouldn't be done too often, and will work best when you have not been playing too many hands so they think you are in fact strong, and also when you're in the blinds, because there aren't people behind you yet to act who might have a monster.

This last tip is a way to play pocket aces to maximize your profit from them. They do not come to you very often in any one tournament, so it is important to make something when you do get them. Sometimes, the most unexpected play is the one you can profit from the most. If you find you are on one of those tables where someone on the button or in the blinds tends to steal-raise when there are a few limpers, you can try the pocket aces limp under the gun. Your hope is that back side raiser will stab at a steal again and you can re-raise him. That is an easy one, many of us have tried or at least seen. Now let us suppose you have those pocket aces and someone has limped in front of you. Try limping right in behind them if there is a raise-happy guy in late position. No one will expect you to limp in behind someone with aces and they will not believe you are that strong when you re-raise them back. It is a risk that no one will raise and you'll be in a pot with four other limpers, just like the under the gun aces limp, but it can work quite well when there is a lot of late position raising over limpers. This play kills when there is that late raise because they don't believe you are strong. If no one raises, you are vulnerable, and you must be very careful with dangerous looking flops, but sometimes this can be a big hand for you post flop also. Many weak players can't let go of top pair. Suppose the flop is T73, and they have AT. They assume someone with an over-pair certainly would have raised preflop, so they are quite sure their tens with an ace kicker is good, and they assume you have KT, QT, or JT. Your deceptive play leads them to pay you off in the end.

note by gank: Jeff Henry is an extremely talented online poker pro.