Poker Help – Calling the flop with less than pair
Online poker has seen many changes over the years which have been seen by many as extremely beneficial to the game as a whole. The days of players being able to fold hands such as a top pair before the flop and still be able to generate some type of profit have long gone. Players will always find that unless they have the lead in any particular game then the action of continuing the hand with anything less than a top pair can be quite difficult and in some cases impossible. The problem with playing poker in this way is unless you are lucky or have knowledge of something else then doing so is an absolute guessing game as to if your opponent has your hand beaten with their own.
There are of course though three general factors that can turn this guessing game to the player’s advantage if they are able to do them the right way. The first of these factors is for the player to be able to study their opponent and to look for how many times that they continually bet on the flop. Players should observe how many times that they check the flop and how many times that they double up on them as this will give an indication on their tactics. To beat players such as this you should attempt to do your best to notice how many times that the player decides to pot control their play especially in the final showdown of any particular game. If you find a poker player always checks back on any hand such as when they do not have a top pair and you find them betting on top pairs in regards to bluffs.
Many poker players in the modern game now tend to only call hands where they know or think their opponent has a weaker low rating pair type and is relying on taking you on the river after a certain amount of posturing and bluffing. The second factor I would like to mention within the world of poker tactics is the entity of board texture. This is arguably one of the most important factors when coming to decide if you should peel the turn with another type of pair before you opponent does. Like with many things in poker ensuring that you are making the right move is essential and making sure your opponent’s boards are less than likely is key to becoming a successful and profitable player.
Players should always endeavour to know exactly what their opponents pre flop range is especially if you are facing them as this will help you understand exactly what their ranges are. The last issue I will discuss is the fact of outs and equity within any given game of poker as this can again be key to becoming a successful player.
Players should realise that there can be an extreme amount of value in attempting to play a hand that is generally worse than a top pair if you can read your opponents next move. You should always attempt to read you opponents which will help you know when they are likely to play certain poker hands instead of folding. You should do your best to not just find yourself calling hands and then giving up before you get to the river card just because your opponent is trying to bully you into believing they have a better than they actually do. You should also try to read if they are likely to double barrel or triple barrel any particular game so you should pay as much attention to this as possible.
If players tend to fold any hand that should be considered less than a top pair then they will find themselves constantly leaving money on the table which is not what good players do generally. Poker Players should also attempt to have a plan b when it comes to poker tactics as changing to this at the right time within any game can acts as the turning point and throw your opponent.