Weekly Poker Student Questions and AnswersEvery Friday We Answer Your Questions |
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At the end of every week at the Poker School we take a look at a few of your questions and shed some light on the answers, while also pointing you in the right direction to learn more about the given topic. See if your question was answered below.
If you have anything kicking around in your head, please don’t hesitate to ask by sending them in to [email protected]. We love questions at the Poker School!
Question from ali baba:
In regards to playing pocket aces, how much should you raise if there is possible flush or straight draw on board?
Answer:
This is really dependent on a multitude of important factors, such as the number of players in the pot, stack sizes, your position and image at the table, etc., as well as more minor considerations such as whether you hold the ace of the possible flush draw (for blocker or redraw benefits).
It is crucial to remember that your aces are just like any other hand; they just happen to the biggest possible over pair. You shouldn’t try to overly protect them just because they are pocket rockets. The logic behind this is that if you bet too strong, in order to get the possible draws out of the hand, you could very well lose value from hands that you have crushed which would have paid you off if you weren’t so paranoid of your aces getting cracked.
With that being said, you want people to pay for their draws and generally not let them get there too cheaply. Betting close to the pot size can be a good idea when you feel like your opponent is on a draw. Remember that you WANT your opponent to call in these situations where you have given them the incorrect odds to chase. There is a lot of money to be made in cash games where opponents play their drawing hands to the river and then release easily when they missed.
Question from Paul:
After the river card, what is the maximum number of bets in a limit hold’em game? Let’s assume this is a $2-$4 game.
Answer:
If there are multiple players in the hand, generally there is a cap on the number of bets after the river card. If the stakes are $2-$4, then once the action reaches $16 it would be considered capped. However, if it’s heads-up action on the river, generally the cap is removed and raises could continue until one of the players is all in.
Question from James:
If I am in late position in no-limit hold’em, and all players in front of me just limped in, what should my hand range and betting strategy be?
Answer:
It depends on what kind of playing style you feel comfortable implementing. If you want to be aggressive in these situations it can certainly be profitable to raise a large percentage of your starting hands. Try experimenting with raising all of your pocket pairs and all of your broadway cards (if you don’t already), all of you ace-rag hands, and any two that are suited and connecting. If you feel super confident in your post-flop game, you can try raising almost any two in these spots, but be wary of variance and putting yourself into difficult decisions on later streets.
In terms of your bet sizing, you should make your raise anywhere from 10-15 times the big blind. Remember that a lot of players limped in, and so if you make it just $10 in a $1-$2 no-limit hold’em cash game you are practically begging everyone to call and see a flop. Regardless of what your hold (with the possible exception being small pairs), you don’t want everyone calling your raise, especially if you have junk and are trying to take advantage of your position. Also, if you make your raise too tiny, and a couple of players call, you could be opening up yourself to being taken advantage of by a squeeze play from one of the limpers. Some people do like to limp in early position with premium hands, and you should try and notice if any of your opponents have this tendency.
So let’s take perhaps the most likely scenario that will happen after you raise to $20-$30 in this $1-$2 cash game, after numerous limpers in front of you. One or two of these players call, the rest fold, and then for the rest of the hand you have position on them in a pot that is already of substantial size. This is a great spot to be in, as your position becomes increasingly advantageous when the pot becomes bloated and the decisions become more costly. Regardless of your holdings, you can continuation bet and win the pot right there, check behind when you want a free card, etc. You are in command after your opponents left themselves vulnerable by limping in and calling a big preflop raise from out of position.
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