How to play your best hand against draws! Do you pull the opponent into the pot or force him to fold?

One of the fundamental problems that any poker player has is represented by the moments when he has a hand that seems to be the best at that moment, but he suspects that the opponent is on a draw. As much as you need to bet in such situations, here’s a question that few beginner players know an exact answer to.

At such times, you have to make bets so as to protect yourself, not give the other the right price to pay, but there is another aspect to consider: who is in front and what is the level of the opponent .

But what is clear and must become an automatism in your game is that you must always bet in these situations. When you have what looks like the best hand and suspect the opponent is on a draw, you are almost never allowed to see a free card. But the discussion is related to the size of the bet, and a really correct answer is very difficult to give. In the following we will try to present two variants to consider, these will be adjusted by you depending on the typology of the opponent or the situation at the table.

Can’t give him odds

You must first know what you want to do with your bet. One of the options is to make the opponent pay a higher price than the chances of completing his hand. Thus, in the long run, with such a bet you will always win in relation to such opponents.

The example is extremely loud in poker, so this time we will refer to one, to better understand the first situation discussed. Suppose you are in a cash game, with the value of blinds at $ 1/2 NL; at the table there are several opponents who are not very experienced. They tend to play too many preflop hands, then stay with their unreasonably long hand, though they should fold. At the same time, you play selectively and aggressively, the table being ideal for you.

Now, let’s imagine a situation where you get on the tower, against a single player. And you have to decide how much to bet with a hand that you are sure is in front of right now. You suspect the opponent has a color draw and you have to act. Let’s say you have K clubs – K clover and you raised the middle position to $ 10. The button and the small blind gave a call, and the flop was 10 cup – 7 cup – 2 clover.

You have a stack of about $ 400, and the action gets to you, the initial aggressor. You bet $ 20 and stay in the pot with only the small blind, who thought long before he called. The tower is Q Clover, and you’re almost certainly still in front. You suspect the opponent was waiting for a new cup to complete the draw, which did not come.

Your main goal must be related to what you want to do with your new raise. This will determine the size of the bet, after the opponent has gone again on the check.

One option would be to protect your hand as a goal. You are in front, and you do not want to give the other person the opportunity to complete his draw. Thus, with a bet of $ 100 you will force the small blind to fold the hand that is waiting to be improved. That way, you win the pot without the risk of being overtaken on the river. You will end your hand now and here.

But, equally, you might want to lure the opponent into the pot, giving him the wrong odds. Specifically, you force it on a call, which, in the long run, is the wrong solution. Specifically, you will win more chips by keeping your opponents in their hands for the wrong price than by betting a large amount to force them to fold.

So, if you bet $ 30, you will give the small pot guy odds of 3 to 1. You encourage a call, but the price is too high to justify it; because your opponent will complete his draw in only one of four variants. Math means power, and you just made the winning move. In the long run, with such a bet in front of such opponents, you will always win.
Why bet so much

There is another alternative to the play above, against some weak opponents. They often make big mistakes, and you need to know how to make the most of them.

In the example above, some players will not give up a flush draw, no matter what price they have to pay to see the river. What if the small blind were such a player?

Against such opponents, you should make a huge bet on the tower; not to protect you and force the other to fold, but because they might call. Below is a list of things to consider in such an approach. So a very big bet on your turn – in the hope that you will be paid – makes sense if:

  • You dominated the table and you have a loose player image.
  • The opponent’s stack has decreased a lot in the last period. It is tiled and wants to double at any price. As such, it is ready to water god at gambling to “get on his feet”.
  • The opponent has shown in the past that he is giving up draws very hard, considering that they have a much higher value than is actually happening.
  • You showed that you are capable of bluff and at least once returned a weak hand in the recent past, to show the others the extended trap.
  • The opponent is a calling station and does not understand the importance of percentages in no limit hold’em.
  • The other has a very large stack, after a good run and considers that nobody and nothing can stand in front of him, being in a grace period.

Against players who have the features described above, a big bet on the tower makes sense. You have to realize that your overbet doesn’t have to be paid every time to make a profit. Specifically, assuming you bet $ 100, the other one needs to answer once out of three for you to be profitable. Experienced players will rarely make a call here, knowing that they have no favorable odds, but from the beginners you can make the most of such an approach.