Texas Holdem
Poker Flop Play
Important
Flop Considerations
This next poker strategy article is the first
in a four article series on playing the flop in
Texas Holdem Poker.
The flop is a
defining moment in Texas Holdem. Before you even
think about putting chips into the pot you need
to determine if your hand is any good. The
mistakes you make on the flop only lead to more
(and even costlier) mistakes on the turn and
river.
The most important considerations on the flop
are:
1) The strength of your hand
- You need to ask yourself just how strong your
hand is. If you are drawing just how strong of a
draw do you have?
2) The type of flop - When
the flop comes down, you need to assess just how
strong your hand is relative to the flop?
3) The number of opponents you are up
against - The more players in the hand
increases the chance that one of them has a
strong hand. If there are three or more players
in the hand you should assume that one of them
has a very strong hand if they bet. When you are
up against multiple players you need to stick to
the best hands. Bluffs and semi-bluffs are
really good against one or two opponents (but
don't overdue it!). If you show that you are a
pretty tight player the others at the table
expect that you will only bet good hands. That
is when bluffs and semi-bluffs work. Also, keep
in mind who you are betting against. If the
players are loose, then bluffing just doesn't
really work.
4) Possible hands of your opponents
- you should look to figure out what hands your
opponents are holding based on their position at
the table, their betting patterns before the
flop an on the flop. Once you understand what
they may have you can then figure out what hand
you have compared to what they may have. Don't
forget that the more players in the pot the
greater the likelihood that one of them has a
strong hand. You want to make sure that when you
draw and hit your hand that your hand will win.
5) The Pot Size - The size
of the pot can have a big impact on your
strategy. If you have a strong hand you can
choose to slow play if the pot is small but you
should play strongly when the hand is large.
Larger pots give you better pot odds than
smaller ones.
With every flop you should go through some
basic steps. Evaluate the type of flop and the
strength of your hand relative to that flop.
Then compare your hand to the hands that your
opponents might have. Then determine your
strategy based on the pot odds you are
receiving.
You are now well on your way to improving
your game. You can practice and play Holdem for
free or real money in any of our recommended
online poker rooms.
When you are ready,
click here to read the second article in
this series.
