Being Raised in Texas Holdem
You’ve been raised
If the pot has been raised before it is your turn to act, you must tighten up significantly on the hands that you play. Savvy players might raise with almost anything in late position if no one except the blinds are in the pot, but if a player raises from early position, give him credit for a good hand and throw away all but the very strongest of hands.
Remember that you need a stronger hand to call a raise than to initiate one. After all, if you raise, your opponents might fold, allowing you to win the blinds by default. If you call a raise, you have to give your opponent credit for having a strong hand, and you should call only if you believe that your hand is even stronger.
When someone’s raised after you’ve called
When an opponent raises after you’ve called, you essentially are committed to calling his raise, seeing the flop, and then deciding on the best course of action. But when you call only to find yourself raised and raised by a third opponent, you should throw away your hand unless it is extremely strong.
Suppose that you called with a hand such as 10h 9h. Just because this hand may be playable in a tame game doesn’t mean that you must play it. The ideal way to play speculative hands such as this is from late position, with a large number of opponents, and in a pot that has not been raised. This is when a hand such as this is worth a shot. After all, you always can throw it away whenever the flop is unfavorable.
When should you raise? Hold’em is a game that requires aggressive play as well as selectivity. You can’t win in the long run by passively calling. You’ve also got to initiate your share of raises, and here are some raising hands.
You always can raise with a pair of aces, kings, queens, jacks, or tens. In fact, if someone has raised before it’s your turn to act and you have a pair of aces, kings, or queens in your hand, go ahead and reraise. You’ve probably got the best hand anyway. Reraising protects your hand by thinning the field, thus minimizing the chances of anyone getting lucky on the flop.
You also can raise if you’re holding a suited ace with a king, queen, or jack, or a suited king with a queen. If your cards are unsuited, you can raise if you’re holding an ace with a king or queen, or a king with a queen.
If you are in late position and no one has called the blinds, you can raise with any pair, an ace with any kicker, and a king with a queen, jack, 10, or 9. When you raise in this situation, you’re really hoping that the blinds – which are, after all, random hands – will fold. But even if they play, your ace or king is likely to be the best hand if no one improves.
This is a case where recalling the play of the hand is more important then knowing the tendencies of your opponents. If you can deduce what kind of hand – or hands – your opponents are likely to hold, you can decide whether to come out betting or try for a checkraise. Remember, unless you think your opponent will bet cand call your raise, betting is the preferred course of action.
Bluffing on the turn
Supposed you raised with A-K before the flop and then bet into two opponents when the flop was J-7-3. You don’t suspect any strength, and know your opponents are solid enough players to release a hand when they think they’re beaten.
Because your opponents have to consider the possibility that you’re holding an overpair or a jack with a good kicker, it will be difficult for them to call with anything less than a hand like J-8. Of course, if you opponents are calling stations, they’ll call with almost anything, and you’ll have to become adept enough at knowing their proclivities, so you don’t try to bluff someone who never releases a hand.
A good player also understands that you might be betting a hand like A-K. But he may not call even if he holds a hand like 8-7, since he can’t be certain about what you have, and could be beaten if his inclination about bluff is wrong.
Should you bluff on the turn?
Knowing whether to attenpt a bluff on the turn is a tough call. These five tips can help you decide.
- Don’t bluff bad players. To beat a bad player, you’re simply going to have to show down the best hand
- Know your opponent. Will she release a hand, or will she call?
- How much money is in the pot? The larger the pot, the more likely someone will call simply for the size of the pot. Most player will abandon a small pot more readily than a big one.
- Mentally review the hand’s play. Would your betting or raising patterns cause a good player to assume you have a big hand? If she doesn’t believe you hold a much better hand, don’t bluff.
Your bet may cause an opponent to lay down the best hand. Even if he calls, the river could bring an ace or king and win the pot for you. But if you bet and are raised, throw your hand away. Sure, someone may be making a move on you. But it doesn’t happen frequently enough to worry about, particularly in low-limit games. Most of the time you’ll be beaten when you’re raised in this situation.