How to Play After the Flop

Introduction

What do you need before you get started?

• Download an overview of the strategy incl. the Starting Hands Chart
  

We've made it to the last part of the Short Stack Strategy - how to play after the first three cards have been revealed.

Whether or not you should invest any more money after the flop depends on how your starting hand connects with the community cards. If you hit, it's time to think about a possible all-in. If you miss, there's not much more to say ...

Watch these lessons on video:

The Short Stack Strategy is also available as video. There is a video dedicated to each article: The Basics, Playing Before the Flop, and Playing After the Flop.

The basics	Before the flop	After the flop
Watch the video	Watch the video	Watch the video

What kinds of hands can you have?

The article on the rules of Texas Hold'em introduced you to the typical playable hands like straights and flushes. When you play the Short Stack Strategy, there are a few other interesting hands. There are, for example, three different kinds of pairs to differentiate between: middle pairs, top-pairs, and overpairs.

You have a middle pair when your 2 cards form a pair, and there is only one card on the board higher than your pair, as long as that card is not an ace.

If, for example, you have two Jacks and there is an eight, a four and a king in the flop, you have a middle pair, since there is only one card higher than your pair, the king.

Middle pair

Your hand:

Flop:

You have a top-pair when one of your starting hand cards gives you a pair with the highest card on the board.

If, for example, you have an ace and a jack, you will have top-pair every time the highest card on the board is an ace or a jack.

Top pair

Your hand:

Flop:

An overpair is a pocket pair that is higher than all the cards on the board.

If, for example, you have two aces and three lower cards are in the flop, you have an overpair.

Overpair

You have:

Flop:

When you have four cards in sequential order, for example 4, 5, 6, 7, you have an OESD (open-ended straight draw).

When you have four cards in sequential order, you only need one more card in the sequence on the upper or lower end to have a straight. This is the only type of straight draw you should play. You should never play your hand when you are missing a card in the middle of the sequence, for example 4, 5, 7, 8.

As is often the case in Texas Hold'em, it doesn't matter if you are using both of your starting hand cards and three cards from the board, or if you are only using one of your starting hand cards and four from the board.

OESD

Your hand:

Flop:

You have a flush draw when you have four cards of the same suit  - the four suits being hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs.

One more card of that suit would give you a flush.

Flush draw

Your hand:

Flop:

How should you play your hand?

If you raised before the flop

Playing your hand after the flop is relatively easy when you raised before the flop. Your goal is to go all-in on the flop if possible when you have one of the hands listed above, as well as with any better hand such as a flush.

You play: middle pairs, top-pairs, overpairs, OESDs, flush draws and any better hand, such as two pair, three-of-a-kind, etc.

How to play your hand:

• If no one has bet or raised, you bet approx. 2/3 of the pot.
• If someone has bet or raised before you, you go all-in.
• If you bet, and someone raises after you, you go all-in.
• If a bet or raise would cost you more than half your stack, go directly all-in.
• If one or more opponents only call your bet or raise on the flop, go all-in on the turn.

What if your hand is not playable?

If you don't have a playable hand, you will usually just fold without investing any more money. In the case that you are able to 'check', you would be able to see the turn card for free and possibly improve your hand. In that case, continue playing as if you had hit on the flop.

There are two exceptions to be made on the flop.

Case 1: If the pot is twice as large as your stack at the start of a betting round, go all-in no matter what your opponent does or what kind of hand you have.

Case 2: If you raised before the flop and are facing exactly one opponent on the flop, bet approx. 2/3 of the pot, even if you missed. It doesn't matter what kind of hand you have in this situation, your bet is a bluff. Just keep in mind that you should only do this when facing exactly one opponent and when he has not bet or raised.

If your opponent raises, simply fold your hand. If he calls, you'll have to give up your bluff, unless you hit the turn card. If you do pick up a hand like middle pair or top-pair on the turn, go all-in.

If you didn't raise before the flop

If you didn't raise before the flop, you need to play differently after the flop. This will usually only be the case when you are in the Big Blind and no one raised before the flop.

First of all, you shouldn't play any hand that still needs to improve. This means no chasing OESDs or flush draws.

Secondly, you should not play middle pairs any more, and only play top-pairs when your other starting hand card (also called kicker card) is a jack or higher.

You play: top-pairs (with at least a jack kicker), overpairs, and every better hand like two pair, three-of-a-kind, etc.

How to play your hand:

• If no one has bet, you bet approx. 2/3 of the pot.
• If someone has bet, you go all-in.
• If you bet, and someone raises after you, you go all-in.
• If a bet or raise would cost you more than half your stack, go all-in.
• If one or more opponents just call your bet, go directly all-in on the turn.
• Examples

Before the flop - NL10 - Blinds: 0.05/0.10 - 10 Players

You are in early position with

You raise to $0.40. You have $1.60 remaining. The player in the Big Blind calls.

Flop - Active Players: 2 - Pot: $0.85

Your opponent checks. You bet $0.55.

You raised before the flop with an ace and a king and one player called. Then he checked to you on the flop. You didn't hit a pair or better, but your opponent's play is weak. He is also the only opponent left in the hand, so chances are good he will fold if you bet.

Your bet should always be approx. 2/3 of the pot, but this doesn't have to be an exact amount. In this example your bet was $0.55. Betting $0.50 or $0.60 wouldn't have been a mistake either; the important thing is that you bet.

If your opponent calls, you will have to give up your hand, unless you can improve on the turn or river without having to invest any more money.

Before the flop - NL10 - Blinds: 0.05/0.10 - 10 Players

You are in early position with

You raise to $0.40. You have $1.60 remaining. The player in the Big Blind calls.

Flop - Active Players: 2 - Pot: $0.85

Your opponent bets $0.20. Your raise and go all-in.

Once again you raised with an ace and a king and the player in the Big Blind called. This time he bets on the flop, but you have a strong hand, namely top-pair.

The strategy says to go all-in when an opponent bets before you on the flop and you have a playable hand.

Before the flop - NL10 - Blinds: 0.05/0.10 - 10 Players

You are in early position with

You raise to $0.40. You have $1.50 remaining. A player in middle position calls. The player in the Big Blind calls.

Flop - Active Players: 3 - Pot: $1.25

The player in the Big Blind checks. You check. The player in middle position checks.

Turn - Active Players: 3 - Pot: $1.25

The player in the Big Blind bets $0.40 You go all-in.

The same cards in a similar situation. You raised with an ace and a king before the flop. This time you missed the flop and are facing two opponents. There is no point in bluffing, so you check and hope you can see the turn card for free.

Your opponents let you see the turn card for free and you hit top-pair. This is your sign to get all your money in.

Before the flop - NL10 - Blinds: 0.05/0.10 - 10 Players

You are in the Big Blind

Two players in middle position call. You check.

Flop - Active Players: 3 - Pot: $0.35

You check. One opponent bets, the other folds. You also fold your hand.

This is a situation in which a lot of players make mistakes. You are the Big Blind and since no-one raised before the flop, you were able to see the flop for free.

You hit top-pair, so far so good. But the strategy says you should only play your top-pair when your kicker card is a jack or better. Your kicker card is a 7, which unfortunately, is not enough. You should treat your hand as if you had nothing.

You check and fold to any bet. It shouldn't be that hard to do, either.

Before the flop - NL10 - Blinds: 0.05/0.10 - 10 Players

You are in late position with

You raise to $0.40. You have $1.40 remaining. Both players in the blinds call.

Flop - Active Players: 3 - Pot: $1.20

Both players in the blinds check. You go all-in.

In this example you have a middle pair. You raised before the flop with pocket queens, but there is a higher card, or overcard, on the flop, namely the king. The problem now is that any top-pair has you beat.

Still, you can play your hand as long as the high card on the board is not an ace.

In this example you don't just bet, you go all-in. Remember the rule: If a bet or raise would cost you more than half your stack, go all-in.

Normally, your bet would be approx. 2/3 of the pot. That would be $0.80 in this example. You only have $1.40 left in your stack (half of which is $0.70), so an $0.80 bet would clearly cost you more than half of what you have, which is why you go all-in.

Summary

So far, you have learned ...

• If you raised before the flop, you continue to play middle pairs, top-pairs, overpairs, OESDs, flush draws and all better hands.
• If you did not raise before the flop, you continue to play top-pairs (when your kicker is a jack or better), overpairs and all better hands. You do not play OESDs or flush draws.
• A middle pair is worthless when there is an ace on the board.
• You should only bluff when you raised before the flop and there is only one opponent left in the hand, on the flop.

And that's the Short Stack Strategy, probably the shortest and most effective Hold'em strategy ever developed. The important thing is that you always follow the strategy rules. The mathematical nature of the strategy does not allow for deviations, no matter how good your reasons to do so may be.

Good luck on the tables and don't forget to do download the printable version of the strategy.

Overview of the Short Stack Strategy incl. the Starting Hands Chart

LINKS
Printable Version: Short Stack Strategy Overview .pdf (~1MB) Discussion Forum: Get answers to your questions or discuss the strategy with other players