Hold Em Authority - Texas Hold Em Strategy and advice for all levels of players

I’m gonna give you a rundown of a hand I played at a cash table.

I was dealt 10s in late position, and I believe there were 4 callers before it got to me. Mistake number one I made in the hand was not raising. I just called, 2 more callers, so it’s about a 7 way pot. The flop comes 456 rainbow. Someone bets a quarter in early position, and I raise about 1.50. I think I should’ve raised more to drive out any draws, but anyway, chalk up mistake #2. Three callers. The turn comes, 8. This is where I’m unsure of what to do. When my opponent called, I figured he was on a draw, I was right, but not exactly right. He checked, and then I checked. The river came, blank, he checked, I checked. He had A3, so I took down the pot.

One of my friends was screaming at me to bet on the turn. I don’t like that play though. I’ll figure out what he’s got, but I’ll lose money in the process if he raises me. Here’s what I mean:

1. If I bet small, I’m representing weakness, and I might get raised because he senses that, so I lose money.

2. If I bet big and get raised, well, I’ve lost a lot of money.

3. If I bet and he calls, well, then I’ve still got a chance of winning, but who knows what he might be slowplaying, or what he already had, such as two pair, or a set.

It’s an interesting thought to bet on the turn, but I can’t justify it because I feel that I could lose so much more than I could win. It’s a tough situation, and I don’t know if there is a true right answer for it. Again, knowing your opponent and the way he/she plays might be the only edge you can gain with your decision making in this sort of situation.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 23rd, 2007 at 2:22 am and is filed under Beginner Holdem Strategy, Intermediate Hold Em Strategy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.