WHEN TO RAISE BIG! If you have a high pair and you raised pre-flop only to find yourself with three or more other players still left aggressively in the hand you have an important decision to make. Study the community cards carefully. If the communal cards haven’t helped your pair and a couple of them are same-suited or consecutive you need to be suspicious that the trio still with you in the hand are probably on a strong draw to a flush or a straight.
ONLY TWO CHOICES Your decision, in my view, can only go two ways. You can fold and make the assumption that of the three or more players left in the hand one of them is sure to make the flush or the run by the turn or at the very least by the river. The odds on this happening are surprisingly not that great. My instinct in this situation is to go for a big raise and make your opponents start to dwell on the doubtful odds of getting that fifth magic card at the turn or the river. If your raise is aggressive enough I say the odds of you watching the opposition fold to you are better than their odds of making their flush or straight. It’s the classic use of the big raise. So what is a BIG raise? You have to be the judge of that depending on the kind of bets that have been going down. When in doubt, go all-in!
FLOP FACE OFF! Most of you will have heard the term “to represent the flop”. This is one of the most significant things to understand in poker and has to be the cornerstone of your game if you are to be a successful player. Here’s an example. If you place a large bet straight after the flop has come down you are “representing” to the rest of the table that it helped you considerably. This will normally have the effect of making players with weak cards fold and players with average cards consider their positions very carefully and probably also fold to you.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE RAISED? Only players with premium hands are likely to call your bet or raise you. So by “representing” the flop you have paid to get pretty much all the information you require to know whether or not you can take the pot. If your “representation” was merely a bluff and you are facing a raise, this would be the time to fold. If you have a “nut” hand then you’ve added considerable value to the pot. Understanding how and when to bet is really what no limit poker is all about. The master of betting in the poker universe is Phil Ivey. If you get chance to watch him play you’ll see why he wins millions every year. He’s fearless when it counts.
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ALL THE ACES poker column: Sunday, May 28, 2006: "How to raise and be raised against in poker"
