Smart Questions

Here are some more poker questions from a student that indicate he’s on the right track in his inquisitiveness. This is the same student I wrote about in my previous two columns.

Client: I pick up pocket aces and bring it in for four times the big blind. There is only one caller, a player in middle position. The flop comes 10-10-4 with a flush draw (I do not have the ace of that suit). I bet $15 and my opponent immediately makes it $45. At this point, I put him on one of these hands: a pocket pair, a hand with a 10, or a flush draw. A 10 seems the least likely of the three, as most players would smooth-call and wait for me to bet again, but you never know. His most likely hand, in my mind, is a flush draw. Do you agree with this read?

Bob Ciaffone: Yes. A pocket pair will usually just call, as a raise is very committal. A preflop raiser seldom flops a flush draw. If your opponent has a pocket pair, he can call and represent a flush if that card comes. Your lack of having the trump ace is important, as the flush draw becomes more probable for your opponent if the ace of the trump suit is available to him. A 10 is rare when only one player has called preflop.

Client: I called the raise. Reraising doesn’t seem good to me here. I really don’t know what he has, and if he has a 10, I am in bad shape. If he has one of the other two types of hands, I really don’t mind him sticking around. The turn is a small card, a complete blank. I check, and he checks. Inasmuch as the flush card did not come, what do you think about betting here instead of checking?

Ciaffone: Betting here is mandatory; a check is terrible poker. Of what use is a good read if you don’t act on it?

Client: On the river, a medium-size flush card comes, completing the flush. I check again, and he bets about three-quarters the size of the pot. I muck my hand, because in my mind, the chances of him having a flush draw after checking the turn in position are even stronger, much stronger. What’s your take on all of this?

Ciaffone: I agree that his turn check is a pretty good indicator that he was drawing, and raised on the flop to either get you out or get a free card on the turn. Your river fold was mandatory, but you should have followed through on your read and bet the turn.

Client: How would your thinking change if there was no flush draw on the flop, but everything else stayed the same?

Ciaffone: It depends on how much of the flop is in the playing zone. But when I get one caller with this kind of a board and hold two aces, I am not going to fold unless I have a monster stack or know that the player is as solid as a rock.

Client: Are you saying to make your move on the flop, or the turn, when the flush card does not come? The flop, I would think, as by the turn, you may have lost your market.

Ciaffone: Sometimes, I gun it out on the flop; other times, I move in on the turn if the flush does not come. It depends on how sure I am that he has a flush draw, and how deep the stacks are. Remember that I am not looking to get it all in on the flop when all I have is one pair and the money is deep. If your opponent is not committed to the pot, and you have put a lot of money in already, a decent opponent will back off when all he has is a flush draw or straight draw and nothing else. So, your stack will be going all in when he either has a big enough draw to be roughly even money against you (flush draw with two overcards, flush draw with a pair, or flush draw with some kind of straight draw) or has you buried under two pair or a set. Also, position makes a big difference. When out of position, I do not like to suspect a flush draw, but then give a free card on the turn, as you did. You can be more flexible on the flop when you have position, using your option to just call and see what he does, whether you or he is the aggressor.

Client: Knowing when to fire a second barrel on the turn when I have raised the pot preflop and bet the flop is very important. I have thought a lot about this, and here are some of my conclusions: If you got called on the flop and are up against an experienced, solid player, and there is a draw out there, he probably doesn’t have a draw, but a strong made hand (two pair or a set), and is waiting for you to bet again. If the flop is ragged with no probable draw, and you bet half the pot, it would seem even more likely that he has two pair or better and can beat the hand that you are representing, and would like you to bet again on the turn. If there is no draw out there, what else could he have called with but a made hand? I think that I may be too aggressive on the turn. For sure, I have a lot of work to do in this area, and any help that you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Ciaffone: This whole area of when to fire a second barrel is a tough one. You seem to be too respectful of your opponents to fire on the turn without top pair or an overpair when called on the flop. A preflop raise does not guarantee a good hand on the flop. (“Jacks or better” is not my style of raising, especially when I have position.) If the flop is ragged, I may have A-K. If the flop has an ace or a king, I may have an underpair. Aggressive players often will test a preflop raiser with a flop call. You need to be more willing to fire a second barrel, especially when there is a flush draw on the flop that did not make a flush on the turn. I am not a strict practitioner of pot control when it comes to firing a second barrel. When facing the modern, aggressive style of play, it is even more important to make a strong follow-through bet on the turn. So, you need to know your opponents. If you are up against a player who often calls to feel you out, be prepared to fire again on the turn without a real hand a good bit of the time. If you bet, it is essential that you bet big, or you will still be facing much the same problem in the river betting. ♠

Bob Ciaffone has authored four poker books, Middle Limit Holdem Poker, Pot-limit and No-limit Poker, Improve Your Poker, and Omaha Poker. All can be ordered (autographed to you) from Bob by e-mail: [email protected]. Free U.S. shipping to Card Player readers. Ciaffone is available for poker lessons at a reasonable rate. His website is www.pokercoach.us, where you can get his rulebook, Robert’s Rules of Poker, for free. Bob also has a website called www.fairlawsonpoker.org.