Check Raising On A Draw
Poker Tip 2 Check Raising on A Draw In No-Limit drawing hands can be very difficult to play out of position. Most beginners take a straightforward approach when they flop something like a straight or a flush draw, they check, then call a bet and hope the turn brings something that will help them. But, simply check-calling can present difficulties later in a hand. If you miss on the turn, you'll probably have to check and, oftentimes, end up facing a turn bet that is too large to call. Any bet of normal size in relation to the pot will be too large because now the odds against hitting your hand are typically more than 4-to-1. What happens if you check-call the flop, then hit your draw on the turn, If you check the turn, your opponent might very well check behind you,thinking that you hit. If you bet at the pot, you're pretty much saying that you made your hand and your opponent might fold. So even if you hit, you may not get paid in amount of risk you took by calling on a draw. Rather than check-call, I often like to check-raise when I flop a draw out of position. This sort of situation comes up most when playing from the blinds. For example, say that I'm in the big blind with Ah-5h and I call a raise from a late position player who popped it to three times the big blind. The flop, Th-6h-3s, gives you the nut flush draw. Calling from the blind, I'd expect to check the flop most of time. It's the natural progression of the hand,the other player took the lead pre-flop and I'm going to allow him to keep it. I'd expect him to make a bet most of the time, even when he misses the flop completely. Most aggressive players will bet at small pots in these situations. If he does bet, this is the perfect kind of flop for a check-raise. It's likely that the other player raised with two big cards - something like A-K or A-Q - and, if that's the case, he's missed this flop completely and will almost certainly fold to the check-raise. Or, if he's got something like A-T or K-T, he may be worried that he's run into a bigger hand and he'll likely just call the raise. If he does call the check-raise, You can then make a decision on the turn. Sometimes you can check and sometimes you can bet, regardless of whether you hit your draw. If you miss you may continue the semi-bluff or you may check with the hope that your check-raise on the flop was good enough to make my opponent nervous and get yourself a free river card. If You hit, you may choose to continue your aggressive play and put your opponent to a decision or you can check, representing fear that the other player having the draw. Of course, things don't always work out. If the initial raiser has something like pocket Aces or a set,your likely to be re-raised and have to fold your hand. But nothing works out every time in poker. Try varying your play when you flop draws. Look for opportunities to check-raise. It may be the best way to proceed with a draw when playing out of position. |