Plus why the size of the pot matters when you bluff
MORE ON CHECK-RAISING Check-raising is a big issue for new players and as I’ve touched on it lately I want to flesh out the thinking surrounding it. Let’s assume you’ve just made a good flush. Basically there are two different strategies you can adopt. Most new players will automatically check a good flush from early position, in the hope it will lead to a check-raise, thus trapping their opponents into an extra bet. Others will simply bet. The main thing to keep in mind is only to plan a check-raise when you believe you’re probably holding the best hand at the table if you are called. It follows that you need to feel fairly sure your opponent will in fact bet if you check. What you don’t want is to check with your premium hand only to find your opponent checks behind you. This is particularly annoying if you feel with hindsight they probably would’ve called if you’d made a decent bet. So the golden rules are don’t attempt a check-raise move unless you think you’ll be victorious if called or you are uncertain your opponent will bet if you do check.
SIZE DOES MATTER Launching a bluff is always a tricky matter. A lot of players will choose to bluff on the turn as the game has reached a critical stage and it may be possible to scare players off with a strong bet. The most important thing to watch for if you are considering a bluff under these circumstances is the size of the pot. It’s much easier to bluff an opponent to abandon a small pot than a large one. Personally, I would only launch a bluff when the pot size is not so large that players are going to be unwilling to abandon it.
FREQUENTLY ASKED POKER QUESTIONS Q: I’ve only just started on the “play money” online games. Can you tell me what size the blinds are if a cash game is billed as a $10-$20 game? A: Good question. It is confusing. In fact the big blind will be $10 and the small blind will be exactly half of that at $5. The $20 refers to the fact that the bets double after the flop. If you decide to bet after the flop the bet becomes $20 on the turn and the river rather than the previously established $10 level. Whatever you do don’t move directly from a play money game to a $10-$20 game unless you’re a lottery winner. That’s way too high a level for an absolute beginner, even if you’re a genius. Try $2-$4 cash games first and work your way up. $10-$20 games will have their fair share of sharks looking for fresh fish to eat. Wait until you can bite back.
Q: In Omaha 8 is it true that the dealer acts “last” in every round of betting? A: It’s true apart from the “first” round of betting which starts with the player with the dealer button. From then on the dealer acts last.
