Playing Past the Flop
Playing
Past the Flop
Waiting
for the flop is like in Texas Hold ’Em is like
opening a mystery box or waiting for to see what’s
behind the curtain. You are certain it’s coming. You
just don’t know what it will be.
If
you have decided to play your two hole cards and see
what the flop has to offer, this is when your strategy
can change 180 degrees.
How
you play after the flop is determined by several
factors, including whether you raised, re-raised or
checked before the flop, how many opponents remain in
the hand, and whether the game is tight or loose. But
the biggest factor, of course, is what cards are
revealed on the flop.
Top
pair:
If you’ve flopped a pair, and are holding a high
kicker, you’re in great shape. Chances are that you
have the best hand on the board if there’s no other
pair. And if the three flopped cards are unsuited, the
decreased flush potential makes your pair look ever
better. Another scenario is that you stayed to see the
flop with a 10-9 diamond connector and got top pair
when an unsuited 10-7-2 was flopped.
This is a hand you bet in a tight game, but
check in a loose one, where everyone sticks around to
see the flop, making the chances that an ace, king or
jack is lurking out there.
Drawing
hand:
With a drawing hand, you flop nothing … but
potential. A four-flush – four suited cards after
the flop – or a high open-end straight draw put the
pot odds with two or more players in your favor. For
example, if you played that 10-9 diamond connector and
the flop was K (diamond)-6 (diamond)-2 (spade), you
have the four-flush. You have a one in four shot of
hitting the flush on the turn, and one out of five on
the river. Betting options can go in many directions.
A large field and you may want to limit your bets to
get in as cheaply as possible if you don’t draw the
winning hand. Against a small field, if you draw the
nut flush – the best flush available within each
hand – go heavy or go home when it comes to bets and
raising.
Major
hand:
It’s rare, but dream flops do happen. If you flop
two pair, trips, straights, flushes, full house or
even higher, you will likely win the hand. But you
still have to know how to play it in order to gain the
maximum amount of profit. Analyze what it would take
for the other players to beat you on the turn or
river. If you’re in a loose game, bet heavy. If it’s
tight, bet conservative and string some of the other
players along.
Swing
and a miss:
If you flop nothing, don’t just assume you’re out
of the running. Your next action depends on what the
other players did before the flop, and whether they’re
looking to fold or bet. For example, if you paid to
see the flop with an A-9 suited, and the result was
J-6-3 offsuit, you’re not done yet. Your ace-high
might be the best hand on the table.
