Pot Control and Free Cards

The concepts of pot control and not allowing your opponents to get free cards may be seen as opposite sides of the same problem. The basic idea of pot control is to avoid losing a big pot with a good, but not great hand. The idea of not giving a free card is that you must charge your opponent to draw to a hand that might beat you or get him to fold so some long shot doesn’t show up to beat you. There is a huge dilemma here. If you check for pot control, you’re giving your opponent a free card. If you bet to prevent free cards, you are creating a large pot, which you may not win. Let’s analyze a common type of situation from several angles. Both you and your opponent have very deep stacks, say 200 big blinds, or $2,000, in a $5-$10 no-limit hold’em game.

Everyone folds to you in the cutoff. You have A K and raise to $35. Only the big blind calls, and you can assume he has a very wide range. The flop is K 7 4, and he checks to you. You have top pair with top kicker.

Case 1 – No pot control, no free cards, and no problems. The pot is $75 and you bet $50, he calls. The pot is now $175, and the turn is the 8, he checks, you bet $100, and he calls. The pot is now $375, the river is the 3, he checks, and you bet $150. He calls, making the final pot $675. Your A-K beats his K-Q, and you win a nice pot.

Case 2 – No pot control, no free cards, but there is a problem. The pot is $75, you bet $50, and he calls. The pot is now $175, and the turn is the 8. He checks, you bet $100, and he raises to $300. Now what? The pot has grown to $575, and it only costs $200 to call. You are getting nearly 3 to 1 pot odds. If he has K-Q as in Case 1, folding would be a big mistake. Even if he has K Q and he’s picked up a flush draw, folding would still be a mistake. If you call, however, you may face a big bet on the river. He may have a hand to crush yours, such as a set (4-4), a low straight (6-5), or even two pair (8-7.) On the other hand, he may have a semibluff hand like A-7 or 8-5. What should you do? There is no right answer. Call when it’s right and fold when it’s right, but how do you know? Perhaps some pot control would have avoided this problem.

Case 3 – Pot control, free cards, and no problem. The pot is $75, you bet $50, and he calls. The pot is now $175. The turn is the 8, he checks, and you check. This is a pot control maneuver. You don’t want to let the pot get too large or face the problem you faced in Case 2, but you are also giving him a free card. The pot is still $175, and the river is the 3. He bets out $125, and you call. He shows K-Q offsuit, and you win a $425 pot. When you take this pot control line, he might bet the river with a lot of weak hands, ranging from complete bluffs to medium pairs. Your fourth street check has earned you a bet on the river.

Case 4 – Pot control, free cards, and a problem. The pot is $75 and you bet $50, he calls. The pot is now $175, and the turn is the 8. He checks, and you check. You make your pot control maneuver. You don’t want to let the pot get too large or face the problem you faced in Case 2. But you are also giving him a free card. The pot is still $175, and the river is the 3. He bets out $125, and you call. He shows 4 3. His two low pair beat you. He probably would have folded if you had bet the turn. Instead, you gave him a free card, and it beat you.

I could continue with many more variations-different turn or river cards, different stack sizes, and so on, but these cases are enough to illustrate the problem. Often, as in Case 1, a straightforward strategy works best. Occasionally, as in Case 2, it backfires. Sometimes a better solution is found through pot control, such as Case 3. But there are times when you attempt at pot control gives your opponent the free card that beats you, as in Case 4. So what is the right play on the turn? Try to decide each case on its own merits, and on any read you have of your opponent.

Summary: When you face your turn decision, just keep in mind that you do have the option of checking for pot control. My suggestion would be that you should generally bet the turn against a passive, tight opponent and fold to his raises most of the time. Frequently check the turn against a tricky, aggressive opponent. This may induce him to make a bluff or weak value bet on the river. Of course, this means you must call the river. ♠

Steve ‘Zee’ Zolotow, aka The Bald Eagle, is a successful gamesplayer. He has been a full-time gambler for over 35 years. With two WSOP bracelets and few million in tournament cashes, he is easing into retirement. He currently devotes most of his time to poker. He can be found at some major tournaments and playing in cash games in Vegas. When escaping from poker, he hangs out in his bars on Avenue A in New York City -The Library near Houston and Doc Holliday’s on 9th St. are his favorites.