
	Texas Hold'em Rules Hand Rankings Starting Hands Betting

BETTING IN TEXAS HOLD'EM

Obviously, when you think that you have the best hand, you should bet. Aggressive play pays off in Texas Hold'em. When you bet or raise with the best hand, you are making money. The most common mistake that new players make is not betting enough. They think that their opponents are going to call anyway, and if someone catches a flush on the river or something, then they saved themselves some money. This is the wrong way to think. If you probably have the best hand, you want people to have to pay for the chance to beat you.

In addition to this advice, the following are some different types of "fancy" betting:

The check-raise:

The check-raise is one of the most powerful moves in Texas Hold'em. The most useful time to use it is when you are in early position, and want to limit the number of players that see the turn or river.

Say you hold:

And the flop comes

The player on the button raised pre-flop, and 4 people saw the flop. Most likely, on the flop every one will check to the button who will bet the flop (this happens all the time-- players check to the pre-flop raiser, and the pre-flop raiser will be regardless of whether the flop helped his hand or not). You check the flop, and raise after the player on the button bets.

There are a number of reasons why this is an good move. First, you have a very good chance of having the best hand right now-- top pair, top kicker. Secondly, you have a better chance of winning the pot if there are less players that see the turn and river. You want to "limit the field". Players that act after you are going to have to call TWO bets in order to see the turn. And lastly, you don't know what the player on the button raised with. You would like to know if you are ahead (does he reraise you? Could he have AA or KK?), and you also want to make him reconsider drawing to a king--in case he has KJ or something like that.

On the turn this move works well if you called on the flop and suddenly improved your hand-- say you made trips, but if the river card is a spade, someone could make a flush to beat you. The same reasoning applies-- you have a better chance of winning the pot if less people stay in.

The steal-raise:

Many times when you are in late position, the flop will appear to have missed everybody, and a bet by you will be enough to either win it right there, or at least make many of the other players fold.

Say you hold:

And the flop comes:

Everyone checks to you, and you bet. Since everyone checked, they appear to have missed their hands. Many people will fold. Be careful of any check-raisers or callers however. If you get check-raised, you may call the bet, but fold the turn. If one of the blinds check-raises you, they may have made two-pair, or at least top pair, and maybe a straight draw. If an overcard comes on the turn and they check, then it's possible they only had top-pair.

The steal-raise is not always the most profitable move. If you overuse it and become predictable, you'll find that people will set a check-raise trap for you.

Stealing the Blinds:

Stealing the blinds is raising pre-flop in late position after everyone has folded to you, with the hope that the blinds fold their hands and you win the small blind and big blind. In low-limit games, stealing the blinds doesn't usually work very well. Many players in the BB will never fold to a pre-flop raise, no matter what cards they hold. In order to steal the blinds successfully, you must have a "read" on the players in the small and big blinds--are they tight are loose? Are they likely to fold?

A lot of times though when you raise in late position, with the intention of stealing the blinds, and you get called, the pre-flop aggression pays off anyway.

Say you hold:

and the flop comes:

The big blind checks to you and you bet. If the big blind doesn't have an ace, he will probably fold, assuming that you made your hand.

Buying the button:

Since being last to act is such an advantage (see our strategy section on Position), it is sometimes advantageous to make a preflop raise in mid-to-late position with a mediocre hand, just so that the players between you and the button will fold. This is called "buying the button", though care should be exercised in using this technique. Players behind you that do call you will most likely have a much better hand than you, and unless the flop helps you a lot, you should probably fold at any sign of strength from them.

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