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 he Guardian G2 Poker Column |
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| Victoria Coren |
| Monday June 18, 2007 |
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Sometimes, the easiest way to work out your opponent's hand is to ask simply: why is he making a particular bet? This is especially true on the river (the last card).
During the early streets, a player can bet for all sorts of reasons: to protect a good hand against draws; to build the pot in case he hits his own draw; to find out where he is with a medium hand; to set up a later bluff, and many more reasons besides. But on the river, there are usually only two reasons to bet: for value because he knows he is winning, or as a bluff because he knows he is losing. To work out which, think back through the bets and look at the texture of the flop. |
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In a recent cash game, I called a pre-flop raise with Ac 3c, and so did the button. The original raiser bet again on a flop of Kd 3d 2h, and I called to see what happened next. So did the button. The turn was Jh and we all checked. The river was 7s: the original raiser checked, I checked, and the button bet the pot.
Why? He could be "value betting" with a strong hand - but he had checked the turn with two flush draws and two straight draws out there. Far too dangerous if his own hand was already made. K7 was a small possibility. A far more likely option was that he himself had missed a draw, and was bluffing on the end as his only possible way to win. When the original raiser ed for this river bet, I called immediately with a pair of threes and won a nice pot. My opponent was shocked by my winning hand, but this sort of situation comes up very often. Look out for it: sometimes, it can be an easy call.
Your can read more byAnthony Holden at his website www.biggerdeal.com |
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