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Value betting with a high pair
With an effective stack of $140, our hero is in the second position and raises to $7 with (hearts K) (spades K), both blinds call, so three players see the flop and there is $21 in the pot!
The flop comes: (clubs 8) (spades 8) (hearts 3)
Hero has position and has hit a high pair on a dry flop. The player in the small blind, with stats 25/9, bets $12, slightly over half the pot. The big blind folds, and the hero calls.
The turn is another (hearts 8).
The small blind bets $20, less than half of the $45 pot, and our hero calls again!
The river is a (hearts Q).
The small blind checks, and hero bets, making the pot size $85. The small blind thinks for a while and then calls, revealing pocket 6s and hearts 6, a pair of Kings wins!
When you have a pair on the flop in a situation where there is no straight or flush draw, you are in a typical (far ahead or far behind) situation, or your opponent has three of a kind or a full house, and you have only two outs, or you are completely dominating them, and they have six outs or fewer. In a (far ahead or far behind) situation, you should usually tone down the aggression, betting small or allowing your opponent to control the betting. If you are far behind, you are happy not to get much action, and if you are far ahead, you don't want to scare your opponent away.
For example:
If our hero had made a big raise on the flop, perhaps raising to $48, many players would have immediately folded their pocket 6s, thinking that only a larger pocket pair or three of a kind would make such a bet. By flat-calling on the flop, our hero keeps a wide range of hands in his opponent's eyes. The small blind might hope his opponent has two unpaired high cards. Furthermore, if our hero is ahead, he is way ahead, and his opponent is unlikely to catch up by the river. There's no need to rush to put money in the pot when there are two more rounds of betting, and our hero has position, so he always has an opportunity to bet.
The (far ahead or far behind) situation becomes even more stable for hero after the turn, and his chances of being far ahead are much greater. The appearance of the second 8 greatly favors a pair of Kings in two ways:
1. It reduces the likelihood that the small blind has pocket 3s. Pocket Kings are now winning, and the appearance of a third 8 makes it less likely that the small blind has one.
Hero's reason for calling on the turn is the same as his reason for calling on the flop. He still has one more round of betting to extract value, and he wants his range to remain as wide as possible in his opponent's eyes. If you can avoid signaling to your opponent that you have a strong hand, it's better to keep them guessing. Sometimes giving your opponent a little room to catch up can increase the chances of getting more action.
On the river, with a value bet, the hero takes the opportunity. Given the previous weak bets from the small blind, checking on the river would be a terrible mistake. The hero is very likely ahead on the river, and weaker hands often call, so don't be afraid to make a value bet.
The lesson from this hand:
1. When you're (far ahead or far behind), consider letting your opponent lead the betting.
2. The turn card gave three of a kind, increasing the value of the high pair.
3. Although not always the case, a bold value bet on the river provides the highest long-term expected profit. |
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Post time 6-9-2023 11:02:46