Big Stack Strategy: how to play after the flop
Introduction
In this article we will cover...
- reasons to bet
- reasons not to bet
- when bluffing is worthwhile
No Limit Hold'em is a dynamic game and your actions depend heavily on the situation at hand. The Big Stack Strategy revolves around what happens after the flop. You have to ask yourself questions like:
- What happened before the flop?
- Which cards are on the board?
- Who are my opponents?"
before you decide how you will continue to play the hand.
Unlike other strategy articles, this article won't tell you what to do and how to do it. The goal is to explain what you can accomplish with your actions, so that you can make the decision yourself.
You will learn the basic concepts of play after the flop and develop a strategic understanding of the game that will enable you to make the right decisions.
After reading this article you should be able to answer questions like, "What do I want to achieve with this hand and how can I achieve it?"
The follow-up article will go into further detail, focusing on the mathematics of poker and showing you how heavily the strength of your hand and the way you play it depend on initial actions in the hand.
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Reasons to bet
A player who shows aggression at the right times wins at No Limit Hold'em. Every bet or raise is made for a reason.
In this instance you are betting for a single purpose: you have a strong hand and want chips to fill up the pot. You want opponents with weaker hands to call and stay in the hand, so you make 'value bets'.
This simple sounding concept is often misunderstood. Let's take a look at a classic mistake players make. The river card has been revealed and you have a mediocre made hand and think, "there's no way he has anything." You bet and your opponent calls only to reveal that his nothing is a little bit better than yours. This is not an example of betting for value.
If you have a hand that could win a showdown, but could also lose, and your opponent is offering you the chance to go from river to showdown for free, take it. You have 'showdown value' and should take advantage of seeing the free showdown.
It's not a matter of whether or not your opponent has a weaker hand. The question is: "which hands will he fold and which will he need to call?"
Let's assume your opponent has a weaker hand 80% of the time and a stronger hand 20% of the time. It would therefore theoretically be worth it to bet.
Assume now that your opponent will fold the 80% of the time he has a weaker hand and call the 20% of the time his hand is stronger.
Betting in this situation doesn't bring you any additional profit. In fact, you end up losing money each time your opponent calls you with a better hand.
The second reason for betting is to bluff your opponent out of of the better hand.
The most common bluff found in lower limit games is the 'dark tunnel bluff.' A player pours chips into the pot without wasting a thought on his opponent or what he plans to do in the next betting round. He bets blindly hoping that his opponent will blink first and give up his hand.
Whenever you are considering a bluff, stick to these five rules:
- Don't create large pots with your bluffs.
- Have a Plan B in case your bluff doesn't work.
- Only bluff against players who can lay down a hand.
- Don't try to bluff more than one opponent.
- Only bluff when you have a strong hand and when your opponents are not likely to have hit the flop.
You know something has gone horribly wrong when you've wasted a lot of chips bluffing your way to the river and your opponent just won't lay down his hand. Don't create large pots with your bluffs!
You should always have a back-up plan. This means that your hand should at least have potential in case you do get called. You're a lot better off bluffing with a draw, that could somehow turn into a big hand, than with absolutely nothing.
Betting just to see what happens is not a well thought out plan. It's critical to bluff in the right situations, for example when the pot is small, or when few players are involved and the board is favourable. In these situations you represent a strong hand and your opponent is unlikely to have hit the flop.
An ace or a king and two low cards that don't connect is the best type of flop to bluff on. A draw-heavy board presents a poor opportunity to bluff.
You have to be able to come across as having a hand so strong, that your opponent sees no chance in beating you. There is no point in bluffing against an opponent who won't give up his hand.
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You are on the BU
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This is a classic example of a continuation bet combined with a good opportunity to bluff. There are few hands your opponents could have called with, that could have hit the flop. You are in a good position to pretend you have a top pair. Unless one of them has one of the three remaining aces, they will have a hard time staying in the hand.
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You are on the BU
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This time we see a draw-heavy board. There are a number of hands your opponents could have called with, that may have hit nicely. Unlike in the previous example, you have no chance of pretending to have a big hand. You might be able to bluff against very cautious opponents, but with a flop like this, you will usually have trouble forcing your opponents to give up their hands.
Not every made hand is a monster hand. You will often feel that you have the best hand, but know that your opponent is just waiting for the right card to come.
Your opponents' only chances of beating you rest on the turn and river cards. The higher the odds that they will make their hands, the more aggressively you have to defend your hand on the flop.
Protecting your hand means making the next community card too expensive for your opponent to see.
When should you protect? If you have a good made hand on a draw heavy board, protect your hand by making the next community card too expensive to see.
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You are on the BU
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Once again we see the same flop cards that presented a poor opportunity to bluff. This time, however, you have a made hand and want to protect it against a flush or a straight draw. Your bet makes it too expensive for your opponents to see the turn.
The fourth reason to bet is to get information from your opponents. Their reactions tell you where you stand with your hand, and in this way you can save a lot of money in the later betting rounds.
Assume you and three opponents see the flop. No one has the initiative and you have a decent top pair. Your opponents check and you bet.
You can accomplish three things with this bet:
- A player with a weaker hand calls and you make a profit.
- Opponents fold hands that would have improved with the turn or river card, so you protect your hand.
- Should an opponent start to raise, you can easily fold knowing you're beaten.
Not betting in this situation means not protecting your hand. It also means you miss out on the chance to get a call from a weaker opponent, and if an opponent suddenly decided to bet, you would have no idea where you stand.
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You are in MP1
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While you do indeed have top pair, you're ultimately left standing there with only a decent made hand. Due to the draw-heavy board, you should definitely bet to protect your hand and to get information from your opponents.
In the example, the BB chose to re-raise. This is your cue to fold to the better hand.
Reasons not to bet
There are a number of reasons why not to bet or raise; usually because your cards aren't good enough. There are, however, three other good reasons why not to bet: pot control, slow play and to induce a bluff.
Once you see the flop, you should know what kind of pot you are playing for. If you have a monster hand you are looking to go all-in. With weaker hands, you are looking to avoid large bets and prefer to play for small pots.
There's a saying in poker: big pots are for big hands, small pots are for small hands. If your cards aren't particularly strong, your goal is to keep the pot small. Your ideal plan isn't to go all-in with a top pair. You know you can win a showdown with a hand like a middle pair, but you want to get there as cheaply as possible.
This is what is called pot control. Here is a standard example of pot control put into practice: you raise before the flop and one opponent calls. You are in position, meaning he is first to act. You hit top pair on the flop and he checks. You bet and he calls. The turn card brings little change; your opponent checks and you do too. Your opponent then bets on the river and you call.
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You are on the CO
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You can use this technique when you are in position and there are no significant draws on the board. The best draw your opponent could have on the board is a gutshot, so there is no need to protect your hand on the turn.
By checking on the turn, you accomplish the following:
- Should your opponent have a better hand, you control your losses by keeping the pot small.
- Should your opponent have a weaker hand (a gutshot or a weak pair), he will probably fold to a bet. Your check feigns weakness, which may induce him to either make a bluff or believe that his hand is the best hand. Even if you don't get him to bet, he will be more likely to call your bet on the river.
It is always easier to control the pot when you are in position, which is why you always want to play with the advantge of being in position. Pot control is a counterweight to protection. Remember: protection means defending a vulnerable hand by making the next community card too expensive for the opponent.
You will often have a hand that you would like to take to the showdown, but you don't want to invest too heavily in it. Poker is a matter of constantly weighing the opportunities and risks. The strategy articles in the bronze section and upwards focus more closely on this ,matter. For now we will take a look at two standard techniques used to control the pot.
You should already be familiar with this technique. It's usually used when you have a pair and the board is not draw heavy. Usually, you will have raised before the flop and be the aggressor on the flop.
The more likely it is that your opponent is on a draw, the more important it is to bet on the turn. If you think your opponent has nothing and little chances of improving his hand, or if he tends to hide monster hands, you're better off checking the turn and calling (as long as you don't see a danger card) on the river.
This technique originally comes from Fixed Limit poker. Instead of checking the turn and calling on the river, you bet on the turn and check the river in order to get to the showdown for free.
The turn is the last chance to get an opponent on a draw to call a bet. By checking the turn, you may entice your opponent to bluff on the river. This, however, is not necessarily what you want.
If you think your opponent might make his draw on the turn, it's better to bet directly on the turn and then check on the river.
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You are on the CO
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When your opponent has an advantageous position over you, or when you don't want to let him see the river for free, you should bet. In our example, a flush draw could have been completed on the turn, but that doesn't necessarily mean that your opponent has a flush. The problem now is that any heart gives him a flush draw.
You have to bet and protect your hand. You also don't want to induce a bluff. With three hearts on the board, you don't want to end up having to call not knowing what you might be up against.
If your opponent raises, you'll know you're beat and can give up your hand. You would do the same even if, for example, the turn doesn't bring a third heart but rather a 10 of clubs. If your opponent raises, you can easily fold your hand and stay on the safe side.
Whenever you raise before the flop and get called, you become the aggressor in the later rounds of betting; this is a good situation for a continuation bet. As you raised before the flop, you can pass off as having a stronger hand than you actually have. It can go awry, however, if you don't hit anything and your continuation bet on the flop is ultimately a bluff.
It is not always wise to make a continuation bet on the flop after raising pre-flop. If you know your opponent doesn't like to fold and if you think he might have hit something better than you, it's better to check after the flop. Wait for a harmless turn card, or better yet - one that helps you, before firing into the pot.
As the aggressor, you can play agressively with continuation bets on many pots, but don't try to attack them all.
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As you can see, a flop that only helps a few hands presents a good opportunity to bluff. It is unlikely for your opponent has a draw or a strong made hand. You can pass off as having a strong hand on such a flop, and your opponent won't usually have cards to call you with, even if he is certain that you are bluffing.
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You'll notice all three examples are titled: very draw heavy. You should never make a continuation bet on a draw heavy board against more than one opponent.
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You are in MP2
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You're better off giving up the hand on a flop like this. A bluff continuation bet is senseless unless both of your opponents are extremely tight. A lot of hands could have hit this flop and there isn't much for you to make out as having. It's very unlikely that both players will fold on such a flop.
You can still bet on the river if you catch an ace or a king, but be cautious if they are spades.
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You are in MP2
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This is a borderline case. If either of your opponents are loose, you should definitely lay off the gas. If not, you can try betting. The flop doesn't look too dangerous and you have 6 outs for your overcards.
You're already familiar with the standard 'bet-flop, check-turn, call-river' as a means for controlling the size of the pot, but it can also be used to induce your opponent to bluff.
By checking on the turn you feign weakness. Your opponent will think your bet on the flop was a standard continuation bet and that you're ready to give up the bluff. This induces a lot of players to bluff on the river.
Inducing a bluff goes hand in hand with slowplay. Slowplay simply means underplaying your hand and hiding it's strength.
Slowplay can entice your opponent to overplay a weak hand, or give him the chance to hit something playable. Let's say you hit a full house on the flop. There aren't many cards the opponent could have to call a bet with. By checking, you give him the chance to hit something on the turn and invite him to bluff, even though he doesn't.
But don't start slowplaying every time you have a decent hand. The only time you should slowplay is when you know you don't have to protect your hand. You're giving your opponent a free card because there is no card he can catch to beat you.
Don't slowplay against several opponents or on draw heavy boards. You won't get far by slowplaying passive opponents either. Use this trick against opponents who are likely to fall for the trap and bluff.
Slowplay is usually not the best way to make the most money out of your hand. Keep this as a rule of thumb for lower limits: Your opponents are more likely to call than to bet. As mentioned before, the average player in lower limit games tends to be too loose and passive.
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You are on the BU
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This is a good example of effective slowplay. As you can see, the board isn't draw heavy, but looks dangerous with the ace. There's no need to protect your set, so you can simply call on the flop. Of course, you should only do this if you think it will be more profitable than raising, which depends on the opponent.
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You are on the BU
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Your flush is a strong hand, but any high spade gives your opponent a draw for a better flush. If you flop a flush with a low high card, you have to be aggressive on the flop and go all-in if possible.
Putting it together…
When making your decisions after the flop, you need to balance three things ...
- getting the most value for your hand when you're ahead.
- controlling the size of the pot so as not to invest too heavily in weaker hands.
- protecting a vulnerable hand by making the next community card too expensive for your opponent to see.
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| Protection | Pot control |
When you have a weak hand, the most important thing is to control the size of the pot. With a strong hand you want to maximize value. When your hand is good, but your opponent could make a draw, be both aggressive and protective.
Playing made hands is relatively easy. If you have the best hand, bet or raise. The weaker your hand, the more important pot control will be. If it gets too expensive you will have to fold.
The more opponents in the hand, the stronger your cards must be to get involved. If no one raises before the flop, and especially if you called a raise, you will need a very strong hand before you put further chips at risk.
Only slowplay with very strong cards. If there's a draw on the board, you should be protective and not let your opponents see any cards cheaply.
Always try to find the right balance between pot control and protection. There's no need to protect a marginal hand that may already be beaten.
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You are in MP3
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You make a standard bet on the flop. After both players check on the turn, you should bet again. It's quite possible that an opponent will call with a flush draw. Weaker made hands might be tempting to call too. By betting you also keep the initiative. Checking doesn't allow you any control and doesn't give you any information on the strength of your opponents' hands.
This time the BB raises. With so many players involved this is a sign that he has a very strong hand. It's likely that he has a flush. You realise your two pair isn't that strong any more and the only thing left to do is fold.
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You are in MP2
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Your best move is to bet on the turn and fold if you get raised. Your opponent isn't likely to raise with a hand weaker than yours. You can't check because even a hand like 2
2
has plenty of outs to beat your jacks.
If your opponent calls, you can either check/fold on the river or try another small bet. Fold if you get raised.
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You are on the BU
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In this example, raising is the correct move. The board offers a number of draws; it's also probable that an opponent out there has an ace which means a gutshot. An overcard on the turn is another danger to protect yourself against.
It's always better to raise in such a situation. If your opponent re-raises, you'll know you're beaten. If he calls, your next move will depend on the turn card.
In order to play draws correctly you have to understand the mathematical concept of outs, odds and pot odds, which you will learn later on.
In general, you should play your draws passively when no one raises before the flop, especially if you call a raise. You can call moderate-sized bets on the flop, with strong draws such as flush draws and OESDs. You should fold weak draws like a gutshot, as soon as an opponent shows aggression.
Don't go fishing! A flush draw form the turn to the river will hit less than 20% of the time. You're wasting your money by calling big bets on the turn.
If you raise before the flop, you can play most draws aggressively after the flop, provided you are only facing one or two opponents. You can almost always make a continuation bet with a strong draw.
Remember, playing a draw aggressively is essentially a bluff. In this case it is a semi-bluff, since you can still hit your draw and win if you do get called.
As always, these semi-bluffs are only useful against opponents who lay down their hand. If too many players are involved in the hand, or if you have someone who calls anything, you can't bluff and you can't play draws aggressively.
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You are the SB
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With so many opponents involved in the hand, it's best to stay passive on the flop. You and MP1 have plenty of chips, so you can call on the turn and will win a big pot if you hit. Now it's time to get aggressive. Your opponent is probably too scared of the flush to bluff if you check, but you will find opponents, especially in lower limits, who are likely to call a bet because they think you are bluffing.
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You are on the CO
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In this example, you have a strong flush draw and overcards, which make your draw even better. Usually, you should refrain from bluffing against four opponents, since you will hardly ever get all of them to fold.
But in this unique case you can make an exception and bet. The main reason why is because you're in position. There are also quite a few cards you can hit on the turn or river. If you do get called, it's likely the next card will be the one you need.
Conclusion
This article has given you an overview on all of the important aspects of post-flop play. Evidently, it's impossible to cover everything in only one article, which is why there are other articles that go into further detail. Be sure to read them.
The most important lessons in this article are pot control and protection. You don't want to play for big pots with a mediocre hand, but you don't want to let your opponent get ahead for free either.
You should also have learned that a bet is only profitable when it protects your hand against draws, or when it gets called by opponents with weaker hands. If you don't have the greatest hand in the world and your opponent is letting you go from river to showdown for free, take him up on the offer.
Whether you're playing before or after the flop, on the turn or on the river, remember these rules:
- Play tight and can get out of the way when things don't look too good.
- Play an aggressive, active role in the hand. Don't make a habit of making passive calls.
- Try to play in position
We will go into further detail in the following articles. We will look at case studies and see examples of how different hands can play out. The first article focuses on the mathematics of poker that determine whether or not a draw will be profitable.
Go to this article: The mathematics of poker - Odds and Outs
