Using flop texture to continuation bet in no-limit hold’em
One of the key factors in deciding on whether or not you should make a continuation bet in no-limit Texas Holdem games is the flop texture. When you marry this with the number of opponents along with the betting action then you can devise a good strategy for deciding whether to bet the flop. Let us look at an easy example here to show what I mean. You have open raised with As-Ks to $1.75 in a NL50 game and the cut-off and button have called you along with the big blind. The flop comes 10c-9d-8c and the big blind checks. This flop is simply too dangerous to try and force the hand through by betting. This flop also hits callers rather than raisers and your opponents also know that this board has not likely connected with a raisers hand. So you have several problems with betting in this situation and the first problem is that you have missed the flop. Problem number two is that you are out of position to two players. Problem number three is that you have three opponents and not just one. Problem number four is the flop texture which hits callers very well and a bet will unlikely get rid of all of the players. Problem number five is that your opponents expect a raiser to have missed that flop. Problem number six is that you may have to run an expensive multi-street bluff to win this pot and you may already be drawing almost dead. So it is clear then that the problems that you have in this position are too great and too numerous to merit betting here. If you only had one opponent then betting to represent a large pair or to bully a weak calling hand like 4-4 into folding is viable. Players call raises will all sorts of hands like weak pocket pairs hoping to flop a set or weaker aces like A-Q or A-J and so your A-K could be best against a single player. You need to start thinking about such things if you are going to play better poker post flop in no-limit Texas hold’em. The situation is even less clear when you have players who are loose-aggressive and tricky and who are prepared to play back at you. Let us say that you raise with the Ad-Jd and your opponent calls you with Jc-10c and the flop comes 5d-4s-2c and you bet two thirds of the pot and your opponent calls looking to put pressure on you. The turn card is another four and you bet half bet and get raised and now you have to fold. Marrying flop texture and the number of opponents along with the flop texture and the betting will quantum leap forward your post flop play in no-limit Texas hold’em. But this is surely where it will need to be if you desire to take your game to level where you are making several big bets per hundred hands or if you want to make poker a serious second income stream for yourself.