Postflop play
Play After The Flop
Play after the flop will depend on several factors. When playing with free poker money the first thing to consider is the texture of the flop – that is whether the flop helped your hand, may have helped an opponents hand and whether there is potential for draws such as flushes and straights. Some decisions are easy, if you have a pair of eights and the flop comes 10-K-A and an opponent bets into you then the chances you have the best hand are small.
Whether or not you were the raiser before the flop will also affect how you play your hand after the flop. If you raised from middle position with a hand such as A-K and the flop comes with 3 smaller cards such as 2-3-8 then a bet may well take the pot without a further fight. This is known as a ‘continuation bet' as you are continuing with the aggression that you showed before the flop. If you are called then you can give up with the hand unless an ace or king comes on the turn or river.
When there are potential flush or straight draws on the flop you will be less sure whether your opponents are calling your bets with a made hand or with a draw. This can be overcome by betting a little more than usual – someone with a strong draw who has position on you is then more likely to either fold or re-raise, which lets you know where you stand in the hand.
The final factor in post flop play is the tendencies of your opponents and their impression of you. If you have just had a great run of cards and raised 5 of the last 7 pots then you are dealt Ace-Ace then you have a great opportunity to raise more than usual. Your opponents will be sick of you ‘pushing them around' and are more likely to play back with hands that you have beaten. From the other perspective if an opponent makes a bet on every flop regardless of position and whether they raised before the flop then you have a good opportunity to take the pot away with a re-raise. Ensuring that you have outs which make a strong hand when you do this will make such raises a profitable move. Do not forget to read about our No Limit Preflop play. |
