Archive for the ‘Poker Strategy’ Category

Dec 8 2009

Missing Max Value and Getting Stuck in a Tough Spot

written by: John Comments: Comments Off

Extracting max value from a solid hand requires that you bet your hand on every street, in one way or another. If your hand’s strength improves it is generally a good idea to increase your bet sizes accordingly.

There will certainly be times where you can implement a check raise to help build the pot most effectively, but more often than not you will be best off by simply firing out bets. Think about the times where a check raise is effective. The only time a check raise is truly profitable is if you cooler the other player or they floated you. The reality is that you will not usually be coolering another player, you will instead have them crushed (or you will be crushed).

So what am I getting at? Try to cut down on check raises when aiming for value as the odds are that you are using them far too frequently. You will be surprised at the average player’s complete unwillingness to fold when someone leads into them and their complete willingness to fold when someone check raises them. A check raise is always indicative of extreme strength so it comes down to a matter of whether your extreme strength is better than their extreme strength.

Comments Off - Click Here to Speak Up