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3.6 Poker Hand Strength continued...
Flopping Trips
Trips is where a pair comes down on the flop and we hold the third card in our hand to make 3 of a kind. The only difference between Trips and a Set is that Trips is not disguised and our opponents will be aware not only of the possibility that we have the third card in our hand but also the possibility of a full house.
This will mean that our opponents will be much more reluctant to commit chips into the pot, so we want to try and ensure we don’t scare them off.
However a lot of players often attempt a bluff when they see a pair on the board, so quite often we can slowplay this sort of hand in the hope of inducing a bluff from our opponent. The other option is to make a small bet similar to a probe bet and see if any opponent bites.
As always check the texture of the flop for any draw possibilities and if there is any, then always play your hand aggressively to protect it.
You shouldn't expect to win a very large pot with Trips, as it is so obvious. However against a bad player who has hit top pair or similar we may get lucky.
Flopping a Straight
Again, this is a very strong hand, but the straight possibility will also be very obvious to our good opponents. There are two types of straight we can flop:
Smart End – Highest possible straight (eg: Our Hand 9, 10 - Flop 6, 7, 8)
Dumb End – Lowest straight (eg: Our hand 4, 5 – Flop 6, 7, 8)
In general it is better to bet these hands rather than slowplay:
Smart End – recommend a bet here rather than slowplaying, because there are so many scare cards (for your opponent) that can come on the turn which will prevent him betting later on, so we should try and get some money in the pot now if we can. A value bet of about ½ the pot is good here, or a little more if you are playing against a loose opponent or you think your opponent has hit top pair or similar.
Dumb End – Here we should play very aggressively to protect our hand and also test if our opponent has the smart end of the straight. if you get raised he probably has it, if you get called this may also be a sign he has it and is slow playing it. About a pot sized bet here would be about right.
Flopping a Flush
It is very unlikely that you will flop a flush (1 in 119 times), it is much more likely that you will flop a draw to a flush. When you do flop a flush it will be very hard to get action as people will be very unwilling to bet when 3 cards of the same suit come down on the flop.
Our best chance of winning a decent pot here is if our opponent has hit a lower flush than ours
Nut Flush / High Flush – slowplay and hope that your opponent has hit or will hit his lower flush.
Lower Flush – play more aggressively to protect your flush against anyone holding a draw to a better flush. If you get raised or your opponent bets into you aggressively you have to consider that he may have a higher flush than you, and you may need to throw the hand away.
Flopping a Full House
A great flop for you! However, once again your opponent may be wary because of the pair showing on board.
The best way to play a full house is to make a small to medium value bet and hope that your opponent has caught something on the flop which tempts them to play.
Against a very tight player who will fold to any bet, slowplay and hope he catches up a little on the turn which will tempt him to bet.
If there is a draw on, then we want to try and give the right odds for our opponent to call, so make sure your bet is small enough to give those odds. If our opponent hits their draw then this could lead to a very big pot for us, with our Full House still in the lead
Flopping Four of a Kind
Well first thing is to stop jumping up and down and concentrate on how you are going to get the biggest pot out of this monster hand.
Generally the best way here is to slowplay and hope that someone gets involved in the pot betting with a weaker hand or with a bluff. If someone does bet into you, then just call, don’t reveal your strength yet. After the turn or river we can start to look to raise and build the pot up a bit more.
CONTINUE TO NEXT SECTION - 3.7 - Poker Challenge *Stage 5* $42 - $57
