Fri, 09/23/2011 – 06:38 – PokerPages Staff

Why we Bet on a Hand

Poker bets either live or at online sites such as PokerStars are an attempt to declare one of two things to your opponents: “I have the best hand around the table”, or “Your hand is poor and you will fold if you are forced to bet any money on it.” Although you are only supposed to place a bet if you have a good hand, many players choose to bet on hands that they know are no good, in an attempt to bluff their opponents. Although the main strategy should be to bet when you’re in a good position and fold when you’re not, there are many subtle nuances you should look to employ.

Stealing the Pot

If you are the last to play in a round of betting where everyone before you has checked, a common move may be to place a bet to steal the pot. Although often effective, checking yourself will provide another card for free, with the knowledge that none of your opponents were willing to place a bet on their cards.

Check Raising

A check raise entails checking when you have the opportunity, only to raise if the action comes back round to you. This can help to put more into the pot if you have a monster hand, although it is best used sparingly, as using this strategy constantly will become obvious fairly swiftly.

Doubling Up

Best used in limit poker, a double-up entails raising after an early raiser in a betting round. This will force players to face two bets at the same time. It is best used when you have a great hand or sense that your opponents are acting cautiously due to the quality of his or her own hands.

To discover more about betting and poker strategy visit the PokerSchoolOnline.

Tue, 08/16/2011 – 10:21 – PokerPages Staff

As a beginner poker player, bet sizing can be one of the hardest aspects of the game to get to grips with. In order to win as well as you can, you need to be able to place good bets. It’s an important aspect to all types of no limit poker.

When placing bets, you need to think of them in relation to how big the pot currently is. This is due to the fact that your poker bets will dictate what your opponent’s pot odds are. If they then call with incorrect odds, you make a profit.

The general rule is if you have a good hand and think that the other players have bad hands you should bet about ¾ of the pot. This is because by doing so you give your opponents wrong pot odds, which means you win more money.

It’s not advantageous to bet half the pot or less, because a weak bet usually means that you lose value on your hands and risk being outdrawn by the other players. However, if you think that this won’t happen and that your opponents will call a smaller bet, you can risk it.

A major mistake, which can be made by a beginner poker player, is making minimum bets and raises. If you do this before a flop, most players will call you. It’s always safer to make strong bets or just not bet.

For more advice visit PokerSchoolOnline – the Internet’s #1 poker education website. Or, to put your betting skills to the test for free, go to PokerStars.net.