Taking Control Of Hand -When Out Of Postion
Taking Control Of Hand When Out Of Postion
Every book talks about the importance of postion when playing Texas Hold'em,and the thinking is the last to act has the more information then the other player's at the table.The thinking is he will have a better sense of where he stands in the hand and from that information, will be able to make better decisions.This is true, but it's important to understand that the power that comes with position is often granted to the late-position player by the early position player. Looking at this you are in the small blind and hold 6h-7h an ok hand for the small blind,the player in late postion raises three times the big blind and you decide to call.Most player's will check the flop under most circumstances,but if you check you give the player in late postion control of the hand.The player in late postion can bet whether or not he has a hand, putting you in a tough spot if you don't get a piece of the flop.Have a look at the flop and then ask yourself,is it likely that these cards helped the other player or not and once you have the answer you can decide how to play the hand. If the flop comes out Ad-Qh-8c, you would just check your hand and would fold to a bet, your opponent probably was raising with high cards and caught at least part of the flop. If the flop comes out 9d-6c-3h, you would not be sure he caught any part of the flop,in hold'em two unpaired hole cards will fail to make a pair on the flop 65 percent of the time.This seems to be a flop that a pre-flop raiser might of missed. If you think your opponent missed on the flop, take the initiative and bet about half the size of the pot. Betting here gives you great advantages, first you might take the pot down right here, but even if you get a call from your opponent it will force him to react, which might give you a chance to pick up on a read. If he seems uneasy you might bet again on the turn and try to pick up the pot. Or, if you feel your opponent is strong, you can check and fold to any bet on the turn if you fail to improve your hand. As you work on your Hold 'em game, remember that you don't have to give the advantage in the hand to the player in late position. Look for opportunities to bet out and seize the initiative. |