| Scoby the Poker Robot | |||||
| How to Win at Poker: Strategy
These pages are a guide to Poker Strategy. The topics covered are: Game Selection, Starting Hands, The Flop, The Turn, The River, Top Pair, Middle Pair, Bottom Pair, Seat Position, Reading the Board, Bluffing, Odds, Pot Odds, Understanding your Style, Assessing your Game, and Tournaments. | |||||
Playing the RiverThe river is where the final decisions are made in No Limit Hold`em. Everyone knows exactly what they have and someone is going to win the pot. On the river someone is often put to a decision for all of their poker chips, which is why understanding the steps leading up to the river are so important.One difficult situation occurs when a straight or flush card appears on the river and your opponent moves all-in. Handling a situation like this requires a strong understanding of the events leading up to this moment. Has this player been flat-calling since the flop, when two of a suit came on the board? If so, he is more likely to have made his flush than if he started with a raise and then slowed down. If you have been betting the whole way, and the board does not suggest a straight or a flush, you probably need to bet again on the river, unless you feel that your opponent has been flat calling you as a slow play. No Limit Hold`em rewards aggression, and as soon as you take your foot off the gas pedal, someone else is likely to race in and grab the pot. Be sure your bets are convincing. If you under bet the pot, you are less likely to get respect from your opponents (this is why some people put a smaller bet in on the river when they make their hand, hoping their opponents will read it as weakness and call or raise). If you have been on a draw and missed, you probably should abandon the hand rather than try to take the pot away with a bluff. Your betting pattern has probably indicated to your opponent that you were drawing, and since you can only win the hand if your opponent folds, it is generally not profitable to try bluffing here. If you are first to act on the river and you have made your straight or flush, you should bet out, rather than trying to slow play. Your opponent will usually check behind you if he has a decent hand, since he can see the potential flush out there and know you will only raise or fold if he bets. If you bet first, you put a decision to him, which is where you want to be in No Limit Hold`em; forcing tough decisions on others. Be wary of making a hand on the river that could also make a big hand for somebody else. Let’s say you have Kc, Qh and the board is 8h Ks 3h Td. You may have been betting the whole way or even calling fearing that you are out-kicked. When a Kh comes on the river, you will be tempted to bet big, and may even call a big re-raise without even thinking about it. Before you know it, you will find yourself sending your chips towards another player as he reveals his heart flush. Always be aware of your opponent’s possible holdings. How you play on the river is largely dictated by how you have played on earlier streets. If you plan out your strategy from the beginning, you will be able to play the river much more confidently and successfully than if you play it by ear. | |||||
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