With the growing popularity of no-limit tournaments, players are discovering the excitement and intrigue of big-bet poker. This leads many to no-limit and pot-limit cash games. And in online poker rooms big-bet games are flourishing at all levels -- from the $50 buy-in micro-limit tables to the massive $25-$50 games at UltimateBet.
But most come to big-bet from cash limit games or tournaments and make mistakes that reflect their inexperience. In big-bet poker, a single mistake can cost you your entire stack. (In fact, even if you play perfectly, you'll be de-stacked on occasion.) But if you play well, you'll find big-bet poker both exciting and profitable. These tips should help you as you learn the big-bet game.
Tip 1: Bets Must Be Appropriate to the Pot
In pot- and no-limit, you're are always trying to force opponents into big mathematical mistakes. Here's a classic example. You're holding A-J and the board shows As-Jd-4s. If you bet and are called, there's a very good chance that the opponent has two spades for the flush draw. If the turn card is not a spade, you want to make sure your opponent is not getting the proper odds to call. If there were, say, $100 in the pot, a bet of $25 would be terrible, as you'd be giving your opponent 5:1 pot odds ($25 would get him $125) when he's only a 4:1 underdog. He would be correct in making this call every time. However, if you bet the size of the pot, $100, the opponent would be getting only 2:1 on the call.
In big-bet poker (both pot-limit and no-limit) many good players consistently make bets that are approximately the size of the pot. Of course, you don't want to make pot-sized bets very time -- there are always occasions for slow-playing huge hands, or putting out "feeler" bets to get an idea of what the opponent has -- but drastically underbetting the pot is almost always a mistake. You'll be giving opponents with inferior hands the opportunity to draw out on you.
Tip 2: Protect Quality Hands Pre-Flop
Say you're playing $1-$2 no-limit with a stack of $200. You've got a strong hand like Q-Q pre-flop, and you're in middle position. Two players have limped behind you. What should your action be? Clearly you want to raise, to let the rest of the field know you have a good hand and knock out some of the weak hands. But how big should that raise be? Well, if you raise the minimum, to $4, you're almost guaranteed to bring along both blinds and the early-position callers. You'll find yourself playing a pair of queens against three opponents -- not great. Here you want to make a pot-sized bet.
To properly calculate the size of the pot, add up all the bets that went in before yours, then tack on the amount you would add to the pot with a call. So in the case above, with the small blind ($1), big blind ($2), and two early-position callers ($4), there's $7 in the pot. Your call would add $2, for a pot size of $9. Raise that amount, to make it an $11 bet.
You're going to lose some players with a bet like this. You may even take it right there. But this is far better than letting the blind catch a random two pair, which could cost you a small fortune. (As mom always said: better to win a small pot than to lose a huge one.)
You must protect good hands pre-flop. But this is not to say that you must continue to bet big if the flop is a disaster. For instance, if you hold Q-Q, and see the flop with two others, you'll almost have to fold if the board comes A-K-x and you face a bet or a raise.
Tip 3: Be Aware of Position (Both Types)
If you've played any amount of hold'em, you know the power of position. The later you act pre-flop, the more liberal your starting requirements can be. So, for example, a hand like A-9 suited or J-T suited should probably be folded in early position. But when you're last to act (on the button) you might want to raise with the same holding.
In big-bet poker, you need to have similar concerns about your position relative to the button. But beyond that, you should be very aware of your position relative to a pre-flop aggressor. It will be easiest to explain why with an example:
Say you have Jh-Th in late position. This is a nice drawing hand -- one with which you'd like to see a flop. Before the betting gets to you, two early-position players have called, and the player to your immediate right has made a pot-sized raise. What are you going to do? It's tempting to call, see the flop, and hope you see two hearts or a nut-straight draw. And when playing limit, you very well might want to do that. But think about how horribly this can go in big-bet poker.
If you call the raise and the early-position limpers also call, you could be in major trouble. Say the flop comes 8-9-4, giving you the nut-straight draw. Both early-position players check to the pre-flop aggressor who bets the pot. Now, you're in the position of calling when there are two players still to act. If one of the early position players caught a set, you'll be facing a huge reraise, perhaps an all-in. Not fun. It's very difficult to play a drawing hand in this position.
If, on the other hand, you limp with Jh-Th and the player to your immediate left raises, you're in decent shape, especially if there are other callers. In all likelihood, the pre-flop raiser will be the first to act (after early position callers check when their hands miss or check-raise when they hit). You'll get a good chance to assess your opponents' strength.
Tip 4: Pray for the Set
In no-limit tournaments, where you have a predetermined and limited number of chips, low and middle pair are not terribly valuable starting hands. Generally in tournaments you're looking to hammer opponents with high pairs or hands such as A-K. When chips are in limited supply, the common wisdom is that you don't want to enter a hand when you're either a small favorite or a huge underdog.
In big-bet poker, however, players look at mid pocket pair with a sense of glee, because these are the hands that will make you serious money. A rather common scenario unfolds like this. You limp with 7-7. A later position makes a pot-sized raise with A-K. All fold back to you and you call. The flop comes A-7-2, rainbow. Now, A-K is feeling pretty good about life. He's flopped top pair, top kicker with no straight or flush draws on board. You check and he bets the size of the pot. Now you have some options -- a smooth call or a raise -- whatever you think is likely to get the greatest amount of money in the pot. You have your opponent by the throat, and you're looking to take his entire stack.
Always keep in mind the odds when playing small and medium pair. You're a 7.5:1 dog to hit your set. You have to make sure your implied odds are at least that great. For instance, if you hold 6-6 pre-flop and a pre-flop aggressor raises to $15 and only has another $60 in his stack, fold. You can't make enough money on this hand to justify the play.
Tip 5: Beware the Set!
Sets are devilish because they're so difficult to see. When you're sitting with top pair, who cares about that rather innocuous-looking 6 in the middle of the flop?
You need to be on the lookout for sets. If a timid player suddenly comes over the top of you while showing no strength pre-flop, he very well may have a set. Have a sense of your opponents' betting patterns. If a habitual big better suddenly throws in a small bet, you need to at least be wary of the set.
(A note about set-over-set: When you flop a set and your opponent flops a higher set, you're almost certainly going to lose your stack. Don't worry about it. These things even out in the long run.)
Tip 6: Sometimes You Need to Fold Aces; Many Times You Need to Fold Kings
Don't get us wrong: a pair of aces is a great hand -- best you'll see. It's a major favorite over every other starting hand. Play 'em hard. But always keep in mind that your goal in pot- or no-limit is to play aces heads-up. Further, your goal is to get as much money as you can in the pot pre-flop. If you can manage to get your whole stack in, all the better.
When you show extreme strength pre-flop (especially if you've been in a position to reraise), it's likely your opponents will be aware you have a stellar holding. This gives them an opportunity. If they nail the flop, there's a decent chance they'll be able to bust you. If they miss, they can easily get out.
Let's say you have A-A and the flop comes 9-9-7. You bet out the pot and are immediately raised all-in. You've got a tough decision -- one where some familiarity with the opponent is very, very helpful. Is he the kind of person who'd throw in a raise here to try to put you off the best hand? Or is he too timid to make this play unless he hit his trips?
If the board is suited and coordinated (say, 8c-Tc-Jc-7s), think seriously about abandoning the hand if you see some heat.
Kings are even trickier. If another player seems to be giving you the opportunity to go all-in pre-flop with K-K, you at least have to ask yourself if you're up against A-A. On rare -- VERY RARE -- occasions, it may even be appropriate to muck kings pre-flop. To do this, however, you must have an excellent read on your opponent.
The sad thing about K-K is that, about 23 percent of the time, you're going to see an ace on the flop. This is very, very little fun. Often, depending on position and the aggressiveness of the opponent, you'll have to lay this down. This does not mean, however, that you should automatically lay down K-K if the flop contains an ace. Let's say you're in early position, you make a pot-sized pre-flop raise, and the flop comes A-7-9. Most of the time you'll want to bet out, representing A-K. Present your opponent with the tough choice. And if you have position and your opponent checks to you, you must bet out. If you're check-raised at this point, you've got an easy laydown.
Tip 7: Be Aware of Your and Your Opponents' Implied Odds
Big-bet poker is largely a game of implied odds. You're usually not so concerned about the pot odds of a specific call, you're thinking about the huge payoff should your card hit. Sets are a perfect example: you're a huge underdog going in, but the potential payoffs are enormous (well over the 7.5:1 odds).
For this reason, some draws can be very, very effective. Say you're holding 9d-7d, and the flop comes 8-T-5. Your opponent bets and you call. Now, if the 6 hits on the turn, it's very unlikely your opponent is going to decipher your straight. You stand to make a lot of money.
On the other hand, if you have the same holding (9d-7d) and the flop comes Ad-2d-4c, your draw may not get paid off. Say your opponent bets and you call. If the turn is a diamond, a savvy opponent will be very cautious.
With this in mind, you have to be aware that your opponents are measuring their implied odds as well. Don't pay off big draws when they hit.
These are just a few tips that can help you in your big-bet cash games. If you move from limit poker to big-bet, it's likely you'll enjoy the game quite a bit more, and, if you're skilled, you'll also find it tremendously profitable.
| Comment |
