THE FASCINATING FLOP Those of you who have been playing poker for just a little while will have already realised that “the flop” pretty much defines your hand in Texas Hold’em. In order to help you to more successfully play the flop in online poker we’ve set out what we consider to be the flop's golden rules to keep front of mind.
POKER FLOP GOLDEN RULES 1) If the flop fails to marry up with any of your hole cards, golden rule number one would be to fold. The exception would be if you were in a very late position and most of the other players had folded in front of you. 2) If the flop delivers you a good-to-premium hand, golden rule number two is to make sure you get maximum value from it. You must keep the other players involved in the pot so don’t over-bet your nut hand. 3) If your hand is good but NOT a premium hand, it’s a finer line to tread. Golden rule number three is you need to be aggressive enough to get some of the table to fold and reduce the risk of them picking up competitive hands by the turn or the river. This is where your “feel” for the way the table has been playing will help your betting decisions. 4) Golden rule number four is grab the opportunity to steal the pot if your position allows it. For instance, you’re in a late position and no-one has called the blinds. In this case, you should raise on any pair, or an ace with a high kicker support card, or even a king accompanied by a queen or a jack. A short-handed game will make the aforementioned advice even more appropriate. Frequently in these sorts of situations the blinds may well fold and you will be able to steal the pot. Even if one of the blinds stays in there, you still have the flop, the turn and the river to fall back on.
“In less than one week, you'll be playing heads-up and taking 1st or 2nd place. I GUARANTEE IT!”
FREQUENTLY ASKED POKER QUESTIONS Q: How did the term "poker" originate. A: It’s believed to have come from the phrase “hokus pokus”. See poker history.
Q: How long has poker been played online? A: The first online casino sites began appearing in 1995 but the very first real money games started in 1997 at the height of the dot com boom. It’s taken just a decade to move from one or two play money arcade games to a multi billion dollar business with an online playing population in the millions. Must have something going for it. Go to dailystarpoker.com and find out exactly what it is!
ALL THE ACES poker column: Wednesday, April 19, 2006: The Poker Flop: Flip-flop to stop playing flipping floppy poker flops
