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Sometimes you are going to be in a hand where you are completely lost. Your opponent might have just pulled some type of move that makes no sense, at the surface anyway. In reality, however, a nonsensical move might make a lot of sense. The fact of the matter is that the most likely hand is most often the actual hand.The problem with this being that the most likely hand itself is often difficult to decipher.

Pre flop play sets the foundation for any hand of poker. If you don’t pay close attention to the pre flop action in any given hand, it is going to be a challenge to make the proper post flop decisions. For example, if you were on the flop in a $50 pot at 100NL with two other players, what does this mean? Well, it could mean that you raised, got re raised, and one other player called. Or, maybe it means that you 3 bet another player and got two calls. All of these scenarios are possible, and the actual scenario gives you deeper insight into any player’s cards. Information is incredibly valuable in poker, but it is even more important that you use the information properly. After all, what good is a text book if you don’t know how to read?

No-Limit Hold’em, $1.00 BB (6 handed) @ PartyPoker

SB ($115.75)

BB ($87.55)

Hero (UTG) ($180.25)

MP ($118.90)

CO ($129.75)

Button ($231.90)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with 8s, 8c

Hero bets $3, 3 folds, SB raises to $10, BB calls $9, Hero calls $7

Preflop we are dealt a decent pocket pair in a short handed game. We open to 3x the big blind, which may be a bit small, but allows us to control the pot if we are re raised. Sure enough, the SB does re raise to $10, and we make the easy call for just $7 more. We can then play the pot, in position, and look for a set or a safe board.

Flop: ($30) 3c, 6c, 3h (3 players)

SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $15, 1 fold, BB raises to $77.55 (All-In), Hero calls $62.55

The flop is good in that no over cards came out on the board. On the other hand, it is still possible that we are beat. The SB made the initial re raise, so they are our primary fear in this spot. With that said, our bet garners an over bet re raise all in from the BB, who had originally flat called the 3 bet from the SB. The SB had already folded to our flop bet, so we now have a choice, call or fold. If we call, what hands do we expect to see. As it turns out, this board has a lot of straight and flush draws, but didn’t help any over cards. 4s, 5s, and 7s, all have reason to believe they might be ahead. 3s, pocket 6s, and over pairs are a narrow part of the BB’s range, so we make the call. The BB flips over 22 and we have him crushed.

Turn: ($185.10) 5c (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($185.10) 6d (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $185.10 | Rake: $3

Results:

BB had 2d, 2s (two pair, sixes and threes).

Hero had 8s, 8c (two pair, eights and sixes).

Outcome: Hero won $182.10