Reading a Hand and the Board, Making Folds

Making a solid fold will often be just as effective as making a solid bet. When you are able to throw away a hand that is no good you will be saving yourself money, and this is money that could end up serving as your profits.

Many players will contemplate a tough decision but then make the call anyway, even if it is obvious that they are beat. Some of the toughest decisions will not be nearly as difficult as they might seem. If someone is playing a hand aggressively and then over bet shoves all in on the river, do you really think you are going to be ahead a large portion of the time? No way, they wouldn’t be bombing every single street if they had nothing. Sure, there might be the occasional situation where an overly aggressive play is actually a bluff, but these will be far and few between.

Your goal as a poker player should always be to play the odds; when you make bad calls you will be wrong way more often than you are right. Your gut feeling is not always something that you should really pay attention to when you are playing poker, but it is a good idea to give it some consideration when contemplating a tough decision.

If you are thinking to yourself “Man, I don’t think I have the best hand here, but I don’t know” it should be clear that a fold is the best choice. What many players will do, however, is make the call because they don’t want to have that doubt rattling in the back of their mind. You won’t know for sure that you are making the best decision when you fold a hand, but you can take comfort in the fact that you haven’t unnecessarily wasted any money.

Using Clues for Hand Reading – Poker Strategy

The most obvious clues will often lead you to the correct decision. If the board is very draw heavy and someone is playing their hand like a draw, what will you do when the draw hits? The other player is going to be betting out when they complete their hand, it should be pretty easy to lay down your hand when they make a play that is this obvious.

Some players will be more deceptive than others, but there aren’t too many players who can truly hide the fact that they have completed a draw. If they make a thin value bet there isn’t anything you can do, but if they make a huge bet your hand should be in the muck as quickly as possible.

Players will usually bet their hand according to its strength. If someone bets small on a low board, and then bets more as soon as a king or ace comes, it should be somewhat apparent that they have improved their hand. Larger bets will typically mean stronger hands. Exploit players who bet small when they are weak, but don’t give into their strategy by calling big bets when they are strong.

SUMMARY: How to Read a Hand and Board

Making a solid fold is rarely an easy thing to do, but it will prove to be incredibly profitable. The best poker players in the world know how to capitalize when they have a strong hand, but they also know how to make a fold when they are beat. Making a good fold is not always a challenge; sometimes the most obvious clues will lead to the best decisions. Related Articles – Micro Stakes Pre Flop – Pre Flop Bet Sizing – Post Flop Bet Sizing – 4 Betting – 3 Betting