Secrets of Professional Tournament Poker, Volume 1 (7 page)

Another example would be if you are in the big blind with 9
-4
with 50BBs and one opponent limps from the small blind. If the flop comes 10
-4
-2
and your opponent checks, you should probably bet for value, as the check probably means his hand is worse than yours.

While it may appear that he won’t be able to call you with too many worse hands, he will find a way to call with all sorts of unpaired hands. If the turn is a K
and your opponent checks again, you should probably check behind because at this point, unless your opponent has exactly a 2, he will probably fold all worse hands and call with all better hands.

This is a key situation where amateurs misplay their hands. When value-betting, you must constantly think about whether your opponent can call with a hand that you beat. I would venture to say that in this situation, he probably won’t. If he checks on the river, you almost certainly have the best hand. The problem is again, what can your opponent call you with? Even though you may have the best hand 75 percent of the time, checking is still correct because if you bet, he will fold all worse hands and call with all better hands. Of course, he may call from time to time with a 2 or an ace, but most of the time, he will either be checking down with a weak hand, intending to fold if you bet, or with a pair, planning to call if you bet. Notice that in his situation, checking makes sense with a pair because when you check behind the turn, your hand looks weak so now he can only get value out of his hand by giving you the opportunity to bluff.

A simple way to stop making poor bets on the river is to simply ask yourself how often your opponent will fold a better hand, how often he will call with worse and how often he will call with a better hand. If you will never bluff him off a better hand, the only numbers that matter are how often he will call when you are ahead versus when you are behind. If when he calls, you are behind more than half the time, checking is correct. Just realize that when you are betting something like middle pair, your opponent will usually fold most second-best hands.

Shy away from thin value-bets in tournaments, especially when the stacks get shorter. These are bets that are probably +EV, but only slightly. An example would be the same hand as above, but instead of 9-4, you have 10-3 and the board comes off K-Q, making the final board 10-4-2-K-Q.

You can now get value from a 4 or 2, but even then, your opponent will show up with a K or Q from time to time and he may even fold a 4 or 2 if you bet the river. Betting here is acceptable in a cash game because if you are wrong, you can just put more money on the table. Since you can’t reload your stack in a tournament, you should avoid these bets.

The next reason to bet is for protection. We learned that betting for value is the right play when you have 3-3 on an A-K-3 board. I purposely ignored one other major reason to bet, which is to protect your hand from a draw that you will be unable to see. If you check behind on the flop and a Q, J or 10 comes on the turn, you may be looking at a straight if your opponent is now willing to put a lot of money in the pot. But you never really know if he has a straight, plus your hand is basically the second nuts, which you usually shouldn’t fold. So, betting on the flop is not only for value, but also for protection. Another example of a protection bet is when you raise 6-5s with a 150BB stack and a player calls in the small blind. If the board comes 8-5-2, you should bet to protect your hand from the various overcards that will likely come on the turn.

If you bet and are raised, you can usually fold your hand except against the most aggressive players. If you check behind and the turn is an A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, or 7 and your opponent bets, you are now in a tricky situation where you basically have to call the turn and will be in a worse situation on the river, as another overcard will probably come. Because of this, betting the flop for protection, hopefully picking up the pot right there, is usually a good idea.

The next reason to bet is as a bluff. These come in a few varieties. There are total bluffs, semi-bluffs and pre-flop bluffs. Many players take interesting lines when bluffing. We will cover these more intricate lines later. For now, here are the most basic examples of bluffs.

The total bluff is when you bet in a spot where you have little or no equity when called. When you have a draw and miss on the river, if an opponent bets and you raise, that is an example of a total bluff. Another example would be if an opponent raised with 100BBs from middle position and you decided to call with J-10s from late position. If the flop comes K-8-2 and your opponent bets, raising is definately an option, as your opponent will have a tough call if he has worse than a king.