Copyright 2006 Full
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November 30, 2006
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Poker Lessons)
Poker Lesson: Pot-Size Manipulation
Author: Gavin Smith
One of the key skills that winning big-bet players
bring to the table is the ability to manipulate the size of the
pot. They manage to play big pots when they have big hands, and
keep the pot smaller when their holdings are more modest. If you
think carefully about your betting throughout a hand, you can
set yourself up to play a pot that's appropriate for the strength
of your hand.
For starters, let's look at a hand that gets a lot
of players in trouble - a big pocket pair. Generally, with any
one pair, you should be looking to play a medium-sized pot. Of
course, you're happy enough to get all of your money in pre-flop
with Aces, but beyond that, you should try to avoid playing huge
pots with any one pair. Here's an example of how you might manage
the size of the pot while holding Aces.
Say that you raise pre-flop with pocket Aces and
you're called by the big blind. The flop comes down J-6-3 rainbow,
and the blind checks to you. You bet three-quarters of the pot
and the big blind calls.
At this point, you can assume your opponent has
some kind of hand. Maybe he has a pocket pair or he hit top pair
on the flop. The other possibility is that he hit a set on the
flop and you're in very bad shape. Given these likely hands, I
think that checking behind your opponent if he checks to you on
the turn is the best play. You avoid the possibility of losing
a monster if you're check-raised by a set. And if he does have
a pair, you're not giving away a whole lot of value by giving
the free card. He may have two or five outs, which makes him a
pretty big dog.
When you check the turn, you do so with the plan
of calling a reasonable bet on the river. And if he checks to
you on the river, you can put in a small value bet. At that point,
your hand would be pretty well disguised, so he is likely to pay
you off if he has anything at all.
So in this case, keeping the pot small will get
you pretty good value when you're ahead and help you avoid disaster
when you're behind.
Now let's look at another type of hand that players
commonly misplay - a flopped monster. Say you're in the small
blind in a No-Limit
cash game. There are four limpers, including the small blind,
and you check your option with A-T. The flop is huge for you -
A-A-T. You have what is almost certain to be the best hand at
showdown.
Many players choose to check in this spot, fearing
that a bet a will kill their action. And it very well might -
it's possible that everyone will just fold. But this is a situation
where you want to give yourself the chance to win a big pot. You
want someone to put in a lot of money on the turn and river while
drawing dead, and that will only be possible if you start building
a pot on the flop. In this situation, you've just got to hope
that someone is holding the case Ace or decides to draw to a gutshot.
So bet two-thirds of the pot on the flop and hope for the best.
Slow-playing might get you a few chips when you
catch someone stabbing. But that would win you a tiny pot, and
with this hand, you're hoping to get a good portion of someone's
stack. You can only do that by betting and building a pot.
In the course of a hand think about what you can
do to keep the pot appropriate to the strength of your hand. A
timely check or a thoughtful bet can aid you in getting the most
out of your hands.
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