Ace Speaks Hold'em: No-Limit Versus Limit - An In-Depth Analysis Part VIII: Differences and Adjustments; Giving Away Information

Know that while you can bet as much as you want to in no-limit (a good thing), these bets can give away a considerable amount of information to your opponents as to the strength of your hand (a bad thing).



In general, you should try to select your betting amounts in such a manner that if your opponents call, they will be making a slight mistake. You want to give them slightly short odds if they choose to call and try to outdraw you. What you don't want to do is bet so much that you will get called only when you are beat; that is, that you will never get the chance to make money from a hand worse than yours.



The problem is, of course, that this size of bet does give away some information about the strength of your hand, making it easier for your opponents to read you. So, what you are trying to do is make your bets about the same size in order to avoid this problem. Usually, you don't want to bet too small, as you will be giving your opponents the correct odds to try to outdraw you – even with very weak hands. But you should also be aware that many players in no-limit will make small bets when they hold a powerhouse and are hoping to get called. And for players who fit this description, fairly big bets may actually be an indication of fear – and not necessarily the sign of a big hand. All in all, this means that in no-limit, a lot of bets are in the range of one-third of the pot to slightly more than the pot, with the occasional all-in bet or raise. In games with deep money, where there is room enough for betting on all streets, the betting often goes like this:

• Flop: Full-pot bet

• Turn: Full-pot bet (especially when there are still many drawing possibilities)

• River: Much less than a full-pot bet (usually in order to "sell" a hand, or to try a relatively cheap bluff)



This last concept is very important. On the river, the lead bettor will often slow down considerably, knowing that he doesn't have to charge his opponents any more for trying to outdraw him. This means that on the river, he will often make a much smaller bet when he has a decent hand, hoping to get a call from opponents who may have as little as a small pair or even ace high. If there were many drawing possibilities on both the flop and the turn, and then the river is a total brick, you should pay attention to the bet size of the lead bettor at this stage. If he has been betting big all the time and now makes a relatively small bet on the river, he may very well be trying to sell his hand. After all, he knows that since his opponents have just called him on both the flop and the turn, they may not have enough of a hand to call a very big bet by him. What this means is that if in this exact situation this player bets big on the river, it is actually quite likely that he has a busted draw himself. After all, he knows that his opponents probably don't hold much, and with a hand that he figured to be the best, it would seem normal to make it much easier for them to call him. But, inasmuch as he has not done that, it is quite likely that he does not want to be called! Anyway, you should pay attention to specific betting patterns like this. Many players, even very good ones, have clear giveaways in some specific situations, and if you look carefully, you may be able to use them to your advantage.



Rolf's Rule No. 11: If on the river a good player comes out betting big when the draws don't seem to have gotten there, there is usually a good chance that he is on a stone-cold bluff. This is especially true if this player has a tendency to "sell" his decent hands on the river.



Now, in closing, I will give you six important recommendations when it comes to betting in no-limit. These are simple rules of thumb that I don't always practice – but in general they are clearly correct.



Recommendation No. 1

If you choose to bet out at all, you should usually bet big against a board with many drawing opportunities; for example K-10-6 with two of a suit. This will help clear the field and will make it easier for you to make the correct decisions on the later streets.



Recommendation No. 2

If the board doesn't offer many drawing opportunities or there is a pair on the board, you are usually better off making smaller bets. Most of these bets will be "probing bets," which are designed to see who is interested in the pot, under the assumption that (since there are no draws) you will get called only if people actually have something. This way, you can often pick up some decent pots with fairly small bets even when you don't hold much.



Recommendation No. 3
If you are in the big blind and there are quite a few callers but you don't sense much strength, you may sometimes raise even with relatively marginal hands. However, if you decide to raise, it should usually be a very large bet, almost always more than the size of the pot. The goal of your raise should be to shut out the field and negate your bad position. You don't want to give your opponents the chance to see a relatively cheap flop when they have position on you and, because of your raise, have a good feel for the type of hand you probably hold.



Recommendation No. 4
If you have a stack of, say, just 10 big bets and a normal-sized pot bet would amount to about five big bets, it may be best to commit fully and go all in if you choose to bet at all. There is no way back for you anyway, so unless you hold an absolute monster that is looking for action, you should just stick it in and get on with it.



Recommendation No. 5

Always be aware of when it is the right time to collect. Let's say that you have been lucky enough to flop a set and you think you are probably up against a hand like top pair/top kicker. You should know that the flop is the time to get the money in. Don't think that you should automatically slow-play because your hand is so strong. Your opponent, having just one pair, may get scared when the turn card presents possibilities for completed straights or flushes – and you will have lost your market.



Recommendation No. 6

If your stack is not too big and you have a combination of a decent made hand and a decent draw, it is often best to make what I call a "no-headache" bet. If your stack is not too big, it is often correct to make an all-in bet, even when it's an overbet of the pot. Because you don't know if your made hand is good right now, and you cannot be 100 percent certain that your draw will be good if you hit it, betting all in is often the proper play. Unless you get called by a better made hand and a better draw, you are usually in good shape.



Some final words

That's about it for now with regard to differences and adjustments. In the next couple of columns, I will focus on some important post-flop aspects in no-limit that may cause people who come from a limit background quite a bit of trouble.



This is Part VIII in a XIV-part series on limit and no-limit hold'em. This series was created especially for Card Player Europe. The accompanying DVDs on this subject can be obtained through Rolf's site, www.rolfslotboom.com.