Poker is certainly a game of chance, you come across a combination of cards, which will agree well or not with the draw to come, and you bet on these cards, but it’s also a strategy game, where the art of betting makes all the difference. Poker is a subtle mix of chance and analysis, good play and bluffing.
The auction principle
When we talk about an auction, we are actually talking about a “bet”.
Poker bets are the equivalent of a bet: we put more or less fat on his game and on items we do not know yet, including the game of other players and the cards that will come out.
You place a bid once it’s your turn. This is a way of attacking or defending your game. We call it a betting round to designate all the decisions made by the different players, between two card distributions, or between a distribution of cards and the game. ‘slaughter. The round is over once all bets are equal, and those who did not want to bet went to bed.
Different possibilities are available to you following an auction, and according to your position. You can follow it and equalize, raise it by betting a bigger amount, go to bed, or say if the bet has not been raised. After each round of betting, new information is added by adding a new card: it is time to bet again with the players still present.
This principle, which seems rather simple, is actually one of the most important moments in poker because you can influence the way other players will play, and therefore, bet on the psychological effect of your bets and your raises to win.
The different strategies of betting
We quickly brushed the main rules about poker betting rounds and if the rules exist, the strategy too.
Pre-flop betting: a good start
These different strategies also depend on what you are going to do pre-flop because this is the first round of betting, and therefore the first round in which you will have to demonstrate strategy. It will always adapt to the players and the table.
The pre-flop bet will determine the image you will have during the round, but also the number of opponents who will stay around the table:
Betting heavily on the pre-flop will allow you to play against a smaller number of winning combinations, or to avoid opponents against whom you do not want to bet.
Limper, that is to say following the big blind without relaunching, will certainly increase the size of the pot, because more players will be in the game, but it increases the probability of losing the shot and ending up in a bad beat situation.
Value Bet: make the pot bigger
Value bet is a little the opposite of bluffing. When bluffing, your goal is for your opponent to fold to win the bet: you try to impress and dominate the balance of power.
A value bet, on the other hand, consists in having your opponent follow your bets because you think you have the best game. Your goal is therefore to increase the amount at stake.
There is no universal rule in this area: you must adapt to the information you hold on the opponent’s hand and your position in the game. This strategy is perfect when you have the highest hand and you have the right hand. opponent also has a major hand. It will make you grow the pot, but also sometimes to ensure that a hand superior to yours lies down.
Continuation Bet: Stay in a strong position
The continuation bet is the art of continuing to bet once the cards returned, after your bet pre-flop. Concretely, if you have raised pre-flop, it is because you like your hand. The continuation bet allows you to continue your momentum by confirming that your hand is strong.
This type of bet will be very useful against passive players, because, whether you have your draw or not, you will create a dominance situation, if you do not get revived and your image is good.
You have the advantage over the other player, who often will not get his draw, and who can hardly follow you. Of course, the strategy loses effectiveness if your opponent follows you without hesitation, and finally has a better combination in hand. It is always better, however, to start from the start on a continuation bet rather than check in the pre-flop, which puts you in a weak position.
Bluff: the art of poker
Bluffing, more than a strategy, is an art. There are no strict rules on the subject, and it is often the talent to handle the bluff and the image that is given to a table that makes the greatest poker players.
There are two categories of bluff:
- Either you over-play a bad hand to get your opponent to fold and win the pot.
- Either you sub-play a good hand to make the pot bigger and surprise your opponent, this is called semi-bluffing.
You have to use the bluff in a balanced way, because the bottom line is that your opponents do not notice your strategy. The idea is to seize the opportunity is to vary your strategies.
Some tips for betting on poker
Define your goals
This first tip is an idea that you must always have in mind at every round of bidding: what is your goal?
- Either you want your opponent to fold, and you’ll favor bluffing and raises.
- Either you want it to follow, which requires more strategy in evaluating your bets. Bet too little, and your opponent will fold: your good hand will have brought nothing.
Know how to adjust your bets
We call the way to adapt his bet sizing bet: it is mainly bet depending on the pot, not the potential of his hand.
There are different bets adapted to different situations.
We can bet the pot or more, we talk about over-bet: it’s ideal when you have a strong hand and the opponent is likely to follow.
If we put half of the pot or a third of the pot, we talk about under-bet, which is preferable in many situations, for example in case of continuation bet, to increase the size of the pot and encourage his opponent to follow if he is too committed.
Know when to stop
This is all the challenge of poker, whatever the strategy, from bluff to value bet: when should you stop betting and going to bed? The first thing to consider is the probabilities between your cards and the draw.
But you will have to learn to analyze the situation from every angle: the number of opponents, the size of the carpet, your position in the game. A good poker player knows when to stop.
Bet out of position
Your position in the betting round determines how you bet.
- A UTG bet, ie after the big blind, can allow you to eliminate opponents.
- The setting at the button, ie in the last position after the flop, remains the best position to raise.
- But it can be good to bet out of position: if you are the first to bet after the flop your image will be stronger. And this allows you to always take advantage of the players who come after you.
You will understand: following your instincts and feelings in poker is not always the winning strategy. If you are a beginner, other players at the table will soon know if your game is good or bad.
You must master the image that you give to the table, and know how to handle with balance and subtlety the different strategies of bet.
