After the Flop - You Have Initiative
Introduction
In this article we will cover....
- why you should never play a made hand passively after the flop
- when you can make a continuation bet
- why you should never bluff against more than two opponents
Any time you have a strong hand and the opponents in front of you have not indicated strong(er) hands of their own, you raise before the flop. Depending on your position and the number of opponents in the hand, however, you can also raise with a weaker hand. Stealing the blinds, for example, means that a player bets into the blinds, not because he has a great hand, but in order to force them to fold so he can collect their blinds.
This article will focus on post-flop play when you have initiative. Remember, even if you raise first, a raise behind you creates a different situation, which you can read about in the other "After the Flop" articles.
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You are in MP2
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You are on the CO
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Being the aggressor before the flop puts you in a unique situation. You will play differently than in rounds in which either an opponent, or no one at all, raised before the flop.
In the following sections you will learn ...
- ... how to evaluate the strength of your hand.
- ... what a continuation bet is and when it is sensible to make one.
- ... how the community cards and your opponents' play influence your play.
- ... how to play on the flop, turn and river.
Keep in mind that we can't possibly cover this complex subject in a single article. It is critical for you to find as much learning material as you can - as an aggressive player you will most often be the aggressor going into the flop. Making the right decisions after the flop as the aggressor is the key to your success.
PokerStrategy offers diverse learning materials; you can watch videos, visit coachings, post in the forum, etc. Take advantage of these offers and continue to develop yourself as a poker player. It's a long road to the higher limits.
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The starting hand chart as PDF file
How strong is your hand?
Once the flop has been revealed, the question is, "What do you have?" AK is a strong hand before the flop, but if you miss it isn't worth much.
You will usually be able to place your hand into one of five categories. Keep in mind, these categories are not set in stone - depending on the community cards and the opponents you are facing a weak draw could also be counted as a worthless hand, and vice versa, for example.
The five categories are:
- Worthless hands
- Weak draws
- Strong draws
- Medium made hands
- Strong made hands
A worthless hand is a hand that completely missed the flop. It can be, for example, a small pocket pair on a flop with three overcards, or a strong hand like AK or KQ that doesn't hit and leaves you with nothing but two overcards.
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You are on the CO
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You are on the CO
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This category consists of hands that have little or no potential to win a showdown and that have poor chances at getting better. Weak draws include: gutshot straight draws, small pocket pairs that miss the flop and overcards with a backdoor draw (a backdoor draw means you need to hit the turn and the river to win).
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You are on the CO
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You are on the CO
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A strong draw is a hand that can't win a showdown yet, but has good chances at turning into a strong made hand. Strong draws include: flush draws, OESDs (open-ended straight draws), and combodraws (a small pair + a flush/OESD draw, or a flush draw + an OESD, for example).
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You are in MP2
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The term "medium made hands" can be deceiving. In a raised pot, this category consists of all made hands that are relatively strong and could win a showdown, such as an overpair, top pair with a good kicker, or a high pocket pair.
These hands are strong, but they can be beaten. If an opponent makes his hand, you usually have no chance at catching up again (i.e., you have an overpair but a flush draw completes).
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You are in MP2
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You are on the CO
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This category is made up of monster hands - it can be anything from two pair to a Royal Flush. As always, the community cards and the number of opponents you are facing influence the strength of your hand. With a draw heavy board and several opponents in the hand your two pair may not be so strong after all - against a single opponent on a drawless board you would have much better chances. You have a strong made hand when: a) you most likely have the best hand and b) it is not likely that an opponent can complete a draw for the better hand.
How do you play on the flop?
Your actions on the flop determine how the rest of the hand will develop. In this section you will learn ...
- ... what a continuation bet is.
- ... which flops and which opponents present a good opportunity for a continuation bet.
- ... how high your bets/raises should be.
- ... what to do when someone raises in front of you.
- ... what to do when someone raises after you make a continuation bet.
The name basically says it all - a continuation bet is a bet made after you showed aggression in the previous round. In other words, you continue to bet.
A bet in general can have three purposes:
- You want to force everyone to fold and win the pot directly.
- You want to protect a made hand against draws and make the next community card too expensive for opponents on a draw to see.
- You have a made hand and want to get money out of weaker hands. You maximize the value of your hand.
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You are in MP2
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You are on the CO
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You've probably seen this before, either on TV or while playing yourself. The continuation bet on the flop is a standard move.
It can be a bluff, but it can also be a strong made hand. You will often make a contibet when you don't hit anything, but to do so you need the right flop and the right opponents.
A bluff continuation bet against an opponent who doesn't like to fold on the flop won't get you far. There are good flops for bluffing and there bad flops for bluffing. The most important thing to avoid is bluffing on draw heavy boards.
Rule #1: Always make a contibet with a made hand, top pair or better. Your goal: protect your hand and get money into the pot.
Rule# 2: Always make a contibet with a strong draw when facing a single opponent. This is a semi-bluff; you can either win here and now by forcing him to fold, or your hand can get better on the turn/river if you get called.
Remember, a semi-bluff is ultimately just a bluff and is only profitable as a tool when you can get players to fold. A draw alone isn't enough to justify a bet/bluff. Unless you have a true monster draw, your chances of winning just aren't high enough.
You will rarely get several opponents, or even a single loose opponent, to fold by betting. A bluff contibet against several opponents is only useful when both conditions are fulfilled: a suitable flop + your opponents can be forced to fold.
If both of these conditions are not met you will have to play your draws according to the pot odds, which you learned in the articles on pot odds and implied pot odds. You check and if someone bets you call if you're getting the right odds, and fold if you're not.
Rule #3: Your continuation bet is a bluff if you have a weak draw, a weak made hand, or nothing at all. Bluffing against several opponents and bluffing against opponents who won't fold is a waste of money. Never bluff against more than two opponents with a weak hand.
You will encounter the next situation quite often: You raised before the flop, one or two opponents called, and you didn't really hit anything big. Should you make a bluff contibet? The answer depends on the community cards and your opponents' actions.
When you look at the board, ask yourself two questions:
- Can you represent a hand?
- Could your opponents have hit the board?
If you answer the first question with a yes and the second with a no, you're looking at a suitable flop for a bluff continuation bet. Flops with high cards, are good for contibets, too. You can represent a high pair with your bet.
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As you can see, a flop that only helps a small range of hands is good for bluff contibets. The board isn't showing any significant draws and it's unlikely that an opponent has a strong made hand. You can represent a strong hand, and your opponent will rarely have the cards to call, even if he is absolutely positive that you are bluffing.
The only strong draw possible in the first example would be an OESD with 43. Your opponent can't have many strong made hands, either. He could have two pair with 52, K5, or K2, but this isn't likely since he called a raise before the flop. Your opponent would need three-of-a-kind or top pair to call a bet - he will most likely have to fold his hand.
The same is true in the second example. No strong draws are showing and you can represent either the ace or the king. It's not likely that your opponent hit a strong made hand and he certainly won't be on a draw.
Your opponent probably doesn't have a strong made hand in the third example either, and the board isn't showing any significant draws. The difference is that you can't represent much more than an overpair. Your opponent is less likely to believe that you have something. This flop doesn't really help many hands at all.
It's possible that your opponent spots your bluff, but he will rarely have the cards to call. His only real option is to bluff himself and raise you. You will often see aggressive players attack such flops. Be careful making bluff contibets on such a flop (drawless and paired) - your opponent might bluff back.
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All three examples are titled, "Very draw heavy." You should never make a contibet on a draw heavy board against more than one single opponent.
There's hardly a hand you can represent in the first example. There are also a lot of hands that will want to stay in the hand: 98, 87, 76, 65, 54, 43, 88, 77, 66, 55, and 44, as well as flush draws and overpairs. These are all hands that opponents could have called with before the flop.
There's nothing for you to represent and your opponents probably have playable hands - two good reasons to only invest if you're facing a single opponent and know he can can easily be forced to fold.
The same counts for the other examples. These are flops that help a lot of different possible hands. Your opponent could easily have two pair or even a straight. He could also have a straight draw, flush draw, or a pair and a gutshot draw. Of course, he could also have completely missed the flop, but this is too unlikely. It's best to give up your hand on such a flop and wait for a better opportunity to invest.
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A lot of flops aren't ideal for a contibet, but it wouldn't be out of the question, either. You can represent a strong hand, but your opponents could have hit, as well.
You can see three such example flops above. There are two habits you should not get into on such flops:
- Always making a continuation bet.
- Never making a continuation bet.
The right decision depends on your opponents. What could they have hit? What will they lay down? What do they need to call? How easily can they be brought to fold? There's no right way to play this kind of flop. If you're not sure what to do, however, you're better off not taking any risks.
There are different types of poker players, each of which reacts differently to a continuation bet. You can generally place your opponents into one of four categories:
- Loose-passive
It's hard for a loose player to lay down his hand, which means you can't bluff against them effectively. A loose-passive player will rarely show aggression, but will call a lot of bets. Your strategy against him does not revolve around forcing him out of pots, but rather patiently waiting for a good hand and then putting your money in. You know he will call with a wide range of hands.
- Loose-aggressive
A loose-aggressive player has trouble laying his hand down, too, but he also plays aggressively. This type of opponent is also more likely to bluff. They see a paired board (like in the example above) as an invitation to attack the pot. You should refrain from bluffing this type of opponent. Your strategy is to let him pay you off when you have a strong hand. Give him the small pots when you don't have a hand, and take down the big ones when you do.
- Tight-passive
You want to make your bluff contibets against tight-passive players. They are quick to fold and only show aggression when they have a strong hand. You will often make continuation bets against them. If it doesn't work, you'll know you're beat.
- Tight-aggressive
You are a tight-aggressive player. You play strong hands and avoid marginal situations. This is why you can bluff against tight-aggressive players. This also means players can bluff against you. This isn't a disadvantage - good players have to be bluffable.
You can attack a lot of pots when facing so-called TAGs, but not as many as against tight-passive players. If he is multitabling, you can make regular contibets against him. He is probably playing his standard game and folding every time he misses the flop.
As you can see, bluff continuation bets are most effective against tight players who only play with very strong hands. Loose-aggressive opponents are the least suitable for bluff contibets. Remember the rule, "Never bluff against someone who can't fold," especially in lower limits where you will often find opponents who have no idea about poker.
Don't make bluff contibets against short stacked opponents. Either he is a poor player, or he plays a short stack strategy - either way you probably won't get him to fold. The less money your opponent has, the less likely he will fold to a bet. Short stacks quickly see themselves as pot committed.
Pay attention to how your opponent plays before and after the flop. Some players patiently wait for a good starting hand, but turn loose as soon as they've seen the flop - a good sign that he won't fold to a contibet. There are also lots of players who like to see the flop with any two cards, but immediately get out of the way when they don't hit. You should like this type of opponent, since he plays often and rarely has anything after the flop.
Now you have all the information you need to make your decision. The trick is correctly weighing the information you have and making the right decision.
We'll start with the simple stuff: You have a medium/strong made hand (top pair with a good kicker or better). In this case you always make a continuation bet, regardless of the number and type of opponents you are facing. You will often either have the best hand or good chances at getting there.
Always bet with a strong draw against a single opponent and almost always against two. If you're facing more than two opponents, your decision will depend heavily on the community cards and your opponents' actions. Only bet if you think there is a good chance that everyone will fold.
It's hard to make a bluff contibet with a weak draw, a small pair, or when you completely miss the flop. Your cards aren't worth investing in and a bluff has to work regularly to be profitable. Take a good look at the flop and your opponents, if you see:
- Many opponents - you don't bet.
- A draw heavy board - you don't bet.
- A loose opponent who calls every bet - you don't bet.
Good players tend to make contibets between 65-75% of the time, and more often in than out of position. On average, however, a good player won't make a contibet with 25-35% of the hands he raises with. The 65-75% of the time he does it's either a bluff or a playable hand.
You should almost always bet against a single opponent, unless he is loose and won't fold on the flop. You need a good flop before you can make a contibet against two opponents, and then only if you know they can fold. You've already learned which kinds of opponents can be brought to fold and which can't.
Time to try it out. Look at the next four examples and decide whether or not you would make a continuation bet.
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You are the BB
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This time it's an easy one - there's no way you're not going to bet. You have a strong hand, but you need to protect it. You want weaker hands to put money in the pot and don't want to give a flush draw the right price for the turn card.
If you didn't have such a strong hand you wouldn't make a contibet in this situation. Three opponents and a draw heavy board are two good reasons not to invest in a mediocre hand.
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You are the BB
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You don't have a made hand, but your draw is very strong. You have the nut flush draw and two overcards. The contibet is a must, even against three opponents.
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You are in MP2
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This is a borderline case. If you know you are facing a loose opponent, you should give up your hand. If you're not sure, or if you do know they are both tight, you can make a contibet. The flop is safe and you have outs for top pair.
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You are in MP2
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The best thing to do on this flop is to give up the hand. There is almost no sense in making a bluff contibet, unless both of them are extremely tight; you probably won't be able to make them fold. A wide range of hands could have hit the flop and you can't represent much at all.
Now that you've decided to bet, the question is, "How much?"
In general:
- The stronger the draws/dangers on the board, the higher your bet.
- The more opponents involved, the higher your bet.
Your bet should always be between 1/2 and the full size of the pot. 2/3 of the pot is usually a decent size. You can bet the full pot on a draw heavy board against two opponents to give your hand maximum protection (don't think about bluffing in this situation).
1/2 the pot is a good size for a contibet against a single opponent on a drawless board. If you have a made hand, there is no need to protect your hand. If you don't, a 1/2 pot bluff contibet is relatively inexpensive, which means it doesn't always have to work to be profitable.
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You are on the CO
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In this example you bet a little over 1/2 the pot. The flop is harmless, or dry in poker jargon. If you had a made hand there would be little need to protect it. You can represent the ace with a small bet. This bluff isn't very expensive, which means it doesn't always have to work to be profitable.
Your opponent can hardly stay in the hand without an ace or a seven. You also have position on him. He will usually have no choice but to fold.
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You are the BB
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Remember this example - a clear case for a contibet. The flush draw on the board makes your hand vulnerable. You are also facing three opponents, two of which have position on you. Your bet has to be big; in our example nearly the entire pot.
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You are in MP2
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We already explained why a bluff contibet is questionable in this situation - you could easily just check. If you do decide to bluff, your bet should be around 2/3 the pot size.
Your opponents won't always check to you and give you the choice of making a continuation bet or not. Often enough, opponents will bet ahead of you, something called a donk bet. Your reaction depends on the size of the bet.
- You are facing one opponent and his bet is small in relation to the pot (usually 1-3 BBs).
This move usually indicates a weak or middle strong hand. If your opponent is short stacked (less than 2.5 * pot), you probably won't be able to bluff him off the hand. He will usually feel pot committed and won't lay down his hand. You should only continue to play by raising with made hands and strong draws.
You can raise with a weaker hand if your opponent has a middle or large size stack. Of course, you shouldn't bluff if he is too loose and you should be sure his bet wasn't meant to provoke a raise. Such a bet from a tight aggressive player, who usually wouldn't make such a move, could easily be a trap.
- You are facing one opponent and his bet is relatively large
In this situation you should raise with strong draws and made hands (top pair with a good kicker or better), and fold the rest.
- You are facing several opponents
Bluffing is no longer an option. You can raise with strong made hands and strong draws, or you could consider calling with a medium made hand like a weak top/middle pair. You'll have to fold, though, if your hand doesn't get better.
You're in a really hairy situation if a second player raises ahead of you. The only hands that can still be played profitably are strong made hands (two pair or better) and strong combodraws (especially a flush draw + OESD). You can fold anything less, even pocket aces. Whatever you do, your decision will, as always, ultimately rest on the board and your opponents.
A raise signals a very strong hand. What draws are possible? If your opponent is particularly aggressive he may not have the best hand. Could he have raised with a hand weaker than yours?
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You are on the CO
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The BB's bet indicates a weak hand, you could still catch an ace or a draw on the turn if he calls - a good opportunity to raise.
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You are on the CO
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Same cards, same board, but this time your opponent's bet is much higher. He probably has a strong hand like top pair; or maybe something like 88 or A9.
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You are on the CO
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In this last example the BB's bet is relatively small, but there is another opponent in the hand, as well. Since you haven't hit anything, folding is the best choice. Bluffing several opponents probably wouldn't work and would be a waste of money.
Another common situation you will encounter: you make a contibet and an opponent raises behind you.
You will obviously have to fold any weak or worthless hand, such as a small or middle pair, or a weak draw. You can continue to play a strong combodraw, such as a nut flush draw + OESD, or nut flush/straight + a pair, aggressively. With more than 12 clean outs you can even go all-in.
You can call with just a flush/OESD/double gutshot draw if you're getting the right (implied) pot odds.
If you complete your draw, you can expect to win another 1/2 of the pot size on the turn by the showdown. As a general rule: you can call as long as you don't have to pay more than 3/4 of the pot size (including actions before you).
You can expect to win even more from passive opponents, whose raise indicates a strong hand. Any poor players still in the hand are also likely to pay you off. In such a situation you could pay as much as the full pot size (including actions before you).
If a made hand, top pair or better, the cards in the flop should be of particular interest. Raise and protect your hand on a draw heavy board. You could just call on a drawless board to keep your opponent in the hand if you think it's likely that he has a weak hand or is bluffing.
You can usually fold weak hands like top pair with a low kicker to a raise. You should only consider staying in the hand if you know your opponent is very aggressive.
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You are UTG1
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This isn't the simplest situation. Several draws are on the board; your opponent could have hit the king for top pair. The best option is reraising. You can go all-in, since you are going to be pot committed either way.
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You are on the CO
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You have a strong flush draw + OESD; 15 cards would probably give you the best hand. With this many outs you can go all-in. This wouldn't even be a semi-bluff; even if your opponent is guaranteed to call, your hand is profitable.
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You are on the CO
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This time it's a completely different situation; you may have top pair with a good kicker, but a wide range of other hands could have hit the flop better. Imagine already facing two pair, three-of-a-kind, a completed flush/straight, or even just AT on the flop.
And even if you do have the best hand right now, your opponent's chances of catching up are too good for you to stay in the hand. Remember the rule: big pots are for big hands, small pots are for small hands. Your hand is too weak for this large of a pot, it won't be profitable to to stay on it.
How do you play on the turn?
Once the turn card comes it's time to reevaluate your hand. Is it still strong/worthless? Could it get better? Could your opponent have completed a draw on the turn?
- Continue to play strong made hands aggressively.
- If you bluffed on the flop, quit investing on the turn.
- You can play a strong draw aggressively against a single opponent, passively against several.
- Bet with strong pairs. You can check/call on a drawless board.
- Be cautious if a card comes that may have completed a draw. Bet and fold to a raise with a good made hand that is already as strong as it will get.
- Don't try to bluff if an opponent bets in front of you. If you have a very strong made hand, you can raise.
If you still have a strong made hand, two pair or better, you continue to play aggressively. If a draw card comes, you'll have to choose between betting and folding to a raise, or checking and calling a bet.
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You are in MP2
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You still have the best possible hand on the turn, but you have to protect it against a flush/straight draw. You also want to get money into the pot. You know what to do; bet.
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You are in MP2
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Flush and straight draws may have completed, but you could still catch a full house on the river. You also have to protect; your opponents may not have a flush or straight yet, but might have hit a draw for one on the turn.
Either you are ahead and protect your hand, or you are behind and still have 10 outs for a full house or four-of-a-kind.
You can't play a combination of a strong hand and a strong draw passively. There are too many hands that will call and pay you off, and you will win often enough when you do get called and are behind to make an investment profitable.
If your bluff on the flop got called, don't try it again on the turn. Weak draws aren't worth playing, either. Any bluff would have to be expensive and you will usually end up losing the hand.
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You are on the CO
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Your bluff contibet on the flop didn't work and the turn card didn't help you at all. It's time to give up the hand. Granted, you might be able to win with another bluff, but doing so would greatly increase the size of the pot - something you never want to do.
You can't play a strong draw aggressively against several opponents. Check and see if someone bets. You already know how to calculate the pot odds, so you know what you can call.
You can make a semi-bluff against a single opponent with a strong draw. As always, only bluff an opponent who can lay down a hand. If there's a good chance that he will call, check and see what happens next.
Remember, as strong as your draw might be, you are only going to see one more card, which means the chances of completing are much lower than on the flop.
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You are on the CO
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Your contibet on the flop was a pure bluff, but now you have a flush draw on the turn. You can bluff again on the turn since there aren't too many strong made hands possible on this board.
With a pair, you can either:
- Bet and fold to a raise.
A bet on the flop could indicate a draw or a bluff. A raise on the turn, however, usually indicates a strong hand, especially in lower limits. But there is one exception - loose aggressive players, or maniacs, are aggressive enough to bet with weak made hands, draws and with nothing at all on the turn. You can continue to play top pair or an overpair against such a player, as long as no draws could have completed.
- Or, you check
If you have position on your opponent and he checks, you can check behind. Depending on the river card, you can consider calling a bet, should your opponent bet. If you're not in position, check/call is your best option. Reevaluate your hand and make a new decision on the river.
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You are on the CO
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It's always a good idea to bet when your opponent has position on you, and/or when you don't want to give the river card away for free. A flush draw may have already completed in our example, but your opponent doesn't necessarily have a flush; he might just have one heart and could now be on a flush draw.
You have to bet and protect your hand. You can assume your opponent has you beat if he raises. You would play this hand the same way if, for example, a ten of clubs had shown up on the turn. Once again, if your opponent raises, folding is your best option.
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You are in MP2
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The best move to make on this turn card is betting and folding to a raise. It's too unlikely that your opponent is raising with a weaker hand. Checking isn't an option either; you would only be giving your opponent a free chance to catch a better hand. Even 2
2
has 14 outs to beat your jacks.
If your opponent calls, you can either check/fold or make another small bet and fold to a raise on the river.
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You are on the CO
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This is a good move to make when you are in position and the board isn't showing any big draws. The best draw an opponent could have on this board is a gutshot; there is no need to protect your hand on the turn.
Checking has two results:
- You keep the pot small and pay your opponent less if he does have a better hand.
- If your opponent has a weak hand, maybe the gutshot or a weak ace or an eight, he will probably fold to a bet. Your check signals weakness and your opponent may be tempted into bluffing on the river. He might also think his weaker hand is good and bet on it. Furthermore, he's more likely to call a bet on the river if you checked on the turn.
You can't do this, however, if a draw might have completed on the turn. If, say, a third card of the same suit shows up, you will have to rethink the hand. It's quite possible that your opponent just completed his flush. You can bet with a strong made hand that probably won't get any better, but you'll have to fold to a raise.
If you have a hand that could still get better, such as a pair + flush draw, you can check and call a bet when you're out of position, or check and call a bet on the river if you are in position.
You should only continue to play strong made hands, two pair or better, when an opponent bets in front of you on the turn. If a draw completed, you should probably just call instead of raising. The only exception is when you have three-of-a-kind and a straight or flush draw completes.
How do you play on the river?
As always, you will have to reevaluate the strength of your hand on the river. Could your opponent have completed a draw? Continue to play strong made hands aggressively, unless you have reason to believe that your opponent has you beat.
If you have top pair or an overpair and got called on the flop and turn, there is little sense in investing again on the river, unless you know your opponent is loose. Normally you should just check and call a bet behind you depending on its size. This is a particularly good move to make when a flush/straight draw didn't complete by the river and you think your opponent is aggressive enough to make a bluff.
If a draw does complete and you are out of position, your best option is betting yourself and folding to a raise. You can get money out of weaker hands that would have otherwise just checked when you do have the best hand, and will know you're beat if a raise does come and you can get out of harm's way. You can check/call against aggressive players. And as always, if you have reason to believe your opponent has you beat, don't waste any more money on the hand.
A bet or raise on the river is rarely a bluff. If a flush draw completes on the river and an opponent raises your bet, you can safely assume he does have the flush.
With two pair or better you should bet, in order to get money out of opponents with weaker hands. Your bet doesn't have to be as high as on the flop and turn, since you don't have to protect your hand against any more. 1/2 the pot is a good size bet for the river. Don't be tempted to bluff on the river - it will rarely work.
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You are on the CO
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As we said, you should always give up your bluffs by the river at the latest. In this example, the flush draw on the turn is it the only thing that made it possible to bluff again at all. Now you can't expect your opponent to fold to a harmless two on the river after having called you down so far, either. You will hardly ever win with another bet.
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You are on the CO
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This is a close call. You could make a small bet on the river and fold to a raise. You keep the pot small if he calls with a weaker hand; if he raises it's probably not a bluff.
On the other hand, the chances of him bluffing are already small, he called the flop and the turn. If he bets on the river, he probably has you beat. Most opponents wouldn't bet with a weak pair on this board and would prefer to go to the showdown.
When they do bet, they usually have a straight or a flush. If you're lucky they only have three-of-a-kind or are bluffing. You can just check and fold to a bet, or call if the price is low enough.
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You are on the CO
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Here you see a typical example of pot control. You raised before the flop and hit top pair with a decent kicker on a drawless board. You make a contibet and your opponent calls.
The turn doesn't change much. Your opponent checks and you follow suit. Then he bets on a harmless river and you call. A standard move to remember: Bet flop, check turn, call river.
There's no need to bet the turn in this example, not even against a bad opponent. You will most likely only make all weaker hands fold. Only a 9 or a K could keep an opponent in the hand. Since your opponent called on the flop before the flush draw came on the turn, you don't have to worry about him having two hearts.
You clearly don't need to bet and protect your hand. Your check might induce an opponent to bluff with a weaker hand on the river and it keeps the pot small in case you don't have the best hand after all.
Conclusion
The key to success in NL Hold'em is playing a controlled, aggressive game of position. The most important situation for you as a TAG is being the aggressor and having initiative on the flop.
Whether or not to make a continuation bet is a decision you will continually face. This article taught you the basic guidelines to follow. Always bet between 1/2 and the full pot size with strong made hands and strong draws.
Play all other draws passively. The articles on pot odds and implied pot odds taught you everything you need to know to do so successfully. Never bluff against more than two opponents or against loose players who can't lay down their hand.
Give up your bluffs on the turn. Continue investing in strong made hands. Play draws passively and only for the right odds, unless you have a strong draw and only one opponent is still in the hand. Bet with pairs when you are out of position; check once on a drawless board when in position.
You can then call a bet on the river. If you bet with a pair on the flop and turn in position, don't bet a third time on the river, check and take the showdown.
If you probably have the best hand you obviously continue to play aggressively on the river. The only thing you should change is the size of your bet. 1/2 the pot is a good size for a bet on the river.
The next article in this series will focus on the exact opposite situation - when you call raise before the flop.
Go to this article: After the Flop - An Opponent Has Initiative
