Betting

When is it right to three-bet? Should it always be done when you think you have the best hand? Should it ever be done when you are drawing? As is the case with many poker decisions, the texture of the board, the number of opponents, the previous betting action, and other factors come into play when deciding what to do. The next six hands taken from live play will hopefully shed some light on this question. It may be more fun to decide for yourself what you would do before reading my answer. Hand No. 1 ($30-$60 game): You open with a raise from middle position with the A10. The player right next to you calls and everyone else folds. There is $170 in the pot and two players. The flop is K109. You bet, and your opponent raises. What should you do? Answer: You should reraise in this heads-up situation. You have the nut-flush draw (nine outs), a middle pair of tens (two more outs), and an ace overcard (three more outs). You have 14 outs with two cards to come (assuming that hitting any of them will win you the pot). You are about even money to make the nut flush, trips, or two pair. You raised preflop and are now three-betting on the flop when it comes with a king high. Although unlikely, your opponent might decide to fold a weak king, fearing that you have pocket aces, big slick, or a set of kings, even if he has a gutshot-straight draw to go with it. If he was raising on some kind of drawing hand like A-Q, he may fold when you three-bet. Most of the time, he will call. If he continues to bet, you have a ton of outs. Another option is to bet the turn if he calls and a blank comes. Some players will fold on the expensive street in the face of an opponent who keeps charging unless they have two pair or better, or a big draw. You have a big enough hand that you should retain the initiative. Hand No. 2 ($15-$30 game): You are in the big blind with the J8. The button opens with a raise. The small blind and you call. There is $90 in the pot and three players. The flop is Q109. The small blind bets, you raise, and both opponents call. There is $180 in the pot. The turn is the 4. The small blind checks, and you bet. The button raises, and the small blind folds. You reraise, and the button calls. There is $360 in the pot and two players. The river is the Q. You bet, and the button raises. What should you do? Answer: Just call, don't reraise. The button figures to have had two pair or a set when he popped you on the turn, and this river card could easily have given him a full house. Hand No. 3 ($10-$20 game): You open with a raise from early position with the AA. An early-position player, the button, and the big blind call. There is $85 in the pot and four players. The flop is 853. The big blind checks, you bet, and everyone calls. There is $125 in the pot. The turn is the A. The big blind checks, you bet, two players fold, and the big blind raises. What should you do? Answer: You can reraise. You may have the best hand. If not, you have 17 outs (nine full house cards, one card to quads, and seven clubs to the nut flush, assuming your opponent has two clubs in his hand) to beat a flush. Furthermore, your opponent cannot have the nut flush, because you have the A, so he is unlikely to four-bet even with a better hand. Finally, by reraising you will discourage your opponent from betting the river if a blank comes, giving you a free showdown. Hand No. 4 ($30-$60 game): You raise from middle position with the 1010 after two early-position players limp in. The cutoff and the big blind call, as do the limpers. There is $320 in the pot and five players. The flop is 6 52. It is checked to you. You bet, and the cutoff raises. The big blind folds, but the two early-position limpers call. What should you do? Answer: Call. You should avoid reraising because you are not confronting the other two players with a double bet. Your reraise will not drive anyone out. Furthermore, from your perspective, all turn cards are hazardous except for a 10. Any card ace through jack makes a bigger pair possible, any diamond makes a flush possible, and a 3, 4, 7, or 8 makes a straight possible. With this many players, virtually every card in the deck looks bad. Hand No. 5 ($20-$40 game): An early-position player opens with a raise and you reraise from the cutoff seat with the KK. Only the early-position player calls. There is $150 in the pot and two players. The flop is 62 2. Your opponent checks, you bet, and he raises. What should you do? Answer: Reraising is clear. An early preflop raiser would not have been helped by this board. He is check-raising an overpair, and your overpair is probably bigger than his. There are 18 ways that he can have Q-Q, J-J, or 10-10, and only six ways that he can have A-A. It is unlikely that he has A-A, because he didn't four-bet before the flop, although some players might slow-play the aces to be deceptive. If he is the type who would open-raise from early position with a medium pair like pocket nines or pocket eights, you are an overwhelming favorite to have the best hand. Just smooth-calling because you want to wait until the expensive street to pop him is dangerous, because a scare card could come off on the turn that will keep him from betting or you from raising. For example, suppose that his overpair is jacks and you just call. If a queen, king, or ace comes off on the turn, he will probably check and fold when you bet. Hand No. 6 ($40-$80 game): The under-the-gun player puts in a live straddle. You raise from early position with the AA. A middle-position player, both blinds, and the straddler call. There is $600 in the pot and five players. The flop is QJ 8. Both blinds and the straddler check, you bet, and the middle-position player raises. The small blind calls, the big blind folds, and the straddler calls. What should you do? Answer: I think you should just call and not three-bet. The raise on your left with a board of Q-J-8 is very ominous. You could easily be facing two pair, a set, or even a straight. Furthermore, the raiser may make it four bets, costing you that much more to continue when it looks like you are chasing. It is possible that he could be raising on a flush draw, but it seems unlikely, given your early-position preflop raise and his call of $120 cold, unless he happens to have two big diamonds.