How to Make Money in Online Poker

How to Play Flop

Flop

If you decide to play before Flop you usually have an advantage over your opponents who often play even with weak cards. Unfortunately, on Flop the situation may be totally different. Even though you are more likely to win, it can happen than some particular deal brings more benefits to your opponents than to you. So, how to play Flop?
The decision to go on playing before Flop was quite easy, almost automatic we can say, but now it’s much more complicated to make a decision how to play Flop. In such case you have to consider the strength of your hand and, as well, take under consideration the fact if new cards could improve (and if so, how much) the situation of other players. In such case the precise rules can not be applied so easily. The situation depends more on clever evaluation of your own cards compared to the predicted hand of your opponents. However, the basic rule remains the same: you play aggressively when you have good cards and pass with the bad ones. Even if before Flop your cards were the strongest and the deal didn’t improve your hand, don’t hesitate to pass. Unfortunately, Flop often brings partial improvement of your hand and at the same time the cards of your opponents can also be better. You can hardly ever evaluate if your cards are the best or the worst ones. In the majority of cases they are a little better than before Flop but at the same time worse than the perfect hand. I present you some guidelines to help you how to play Flop. Remember to find them flexible depending on the combination of cards at the table and the actions of other players.

One pair:

  • Highest pair from a hand (you received nothing on Flop) - a very good situation, no one knows that you’ve got the highest pair, which is probably the strongest hand so far: Raise
  • Highest pair with a high kicker - your hand is probably the best: Raise
  • Highest pair with a low kicker - if someone before you betted (Bet) or raised a bet (Raise): Fold, if you start as the first one or the last one, but everyone waited (Check): Raise
  • Low pair - if your pair is not the highest: Fold

Two pairs:

  • Highest two Pairs - your hand is probably the best: Raise
  • Two Pairs but not the highest - your hand is still quite good but you should pay more attention to other players’ actions because someone else may have a better hand: Raise
  • One pair from a hand and one dealt - even though the hand seems quite good, some of your opponents may have Trips. That’s why you should bet: Bet or raise: Raise, but observe closely other players and if any of them plays aggressively: Fold

Trips:

  • Set (one pair from a hand and one from a table) - very good cards probably the strongest and unexpected hand: Raise
  • Trips (one from a hand and one pair from a table) - good cards but someone else may have better. Be more prudent if you don’t have a strong kicker (second card from a hand): Raise, but if someone else raises, than only: Call. You can play more aggressively with a strong kicker: Raise and than Raise again if other player raised.

Drawing to Straight or Flush (Draw):

The general rule while drawing cards is to collect the highest bank possible in order to let the probable victory make up for the losses in case you don’t get the expected card and loose. Therefore, you shouldn’t be too aggressive in such rounds in order not to frighten other players. The best tactics in such circumstances would be to follow your opponents passively: Check or Call under the condition that there are enough players in the game.
When you decide to draw the cards you should at least roughly define the probability of setting the assumed hand. And the probability depends on the fact, whether you draw one or two cards. If you decide to draw two cards, due to a scant probability of success, it would be the best to have a chance for another hand, for example: Straight and Flush at the same time. Below you will find the approximate probabilities of setting some specified hands:

  • Flush of 3 cards = 3,30 %
  • Flush of 4 cards = 34,97 %
  • Straight close of 3 cards = 1,48 %
  • Straight open of 3 cards = 2,22 - 2,98 %
  • Straight close of 4 cards = 16,46 %
  • Straight open of 4 cards = 31,45 %

It’s worth to notice that raising a bet while drawing is often considered a mistake. It’s not the complete truth. It’s worth to raise if enough players entered the game before you and if the Pot is really high and if you’ve got a big chance to get a required card. From the statistic point of view you proceed correctly. Additionally, your play becomes less predictable while playing aggressively with very good cards only and conservatively while drawing to a hand. Even if you don’t manage to set a hand, this tactics can be fruitful in further deals when your opponents will not be sure what cards you have got.

Complete combination:

From time to time you will be lucky to set a complete hand already on Flop. Taking under consideration the fact that usually some opponents will be close to set a similar hand and succeeding rounds can bring them the cards they were waiting for, you should play such a game very aggressively (Raise and again Raise, when someone else raises). This rule can be somewhat modified under the condition that you have the strongest hand possible and that you are sure that in the succeeding rounds no one will beat you. In such situation you can allow your opponents draw the cards so that in succeeding round they will be sure about their strength and you will win much more money.

Two highest cards (from a hand):

It’s very risky and very difficult to play with two highest cards from a hand but without any combination from the table. Usually you can loose more than win. However, you can try to keep on playing (Check, eventually Call) under the condition that in succeeding rounds you have at least a small chance to set additionally a Straight or Flush and that no one is playing very aggressively. In every other situation it’s better to pass.

Bad cards:

Don’t hesitate to pass even though before Flop you had very good cards (for example: Ace and King) but on Flop you received nothing. You will gain much more saving money for further deals than risking them foolishly. That’s the major difference between players who play for fun and those whose goal is only the money.

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How to play Flop