Poker Articles

Taylor Caby (A.K.A Green Plastic) is the owner of CardRunners.com, an instructional site that includes videos made by himself and other top online professionals.

In this article, I am going to address an issue that I think many online poker players don’t think about.  For those that play on UltimateBet, you are aware that many players mindlessly and endlessly use the “bet pot” button when they want to make a bet in no-limit games.  I am going to explain to you why I feel this is a mistake. I will also share some strategies I employ to control the size of the pot.

Making a pot-sized bet in no-limit hold’em games is a good way to ensure that your opponent will not be getting the correct pot odds on their drawing hands (they may still be getting the correct implied odds).  Generally, it is a good idea to make a pot-sized bet if you feel your opponent is drawing or you have a vulnerable hand such as top pair top kicker.  However, some players on UB get so used to using the “bet pot” button that they will be making pot sized bets on all of their bluffs, weak hands, and even value bets.  The reason this is a problem is that by betting the size of the pot on every street, you are building very large pots.

Being involved in unnecessarily large pots makes playing no-limit hold’em a lot more difficult than it has to be.  NLHE is a game where it is often not clear when you have the best hand.  Often times, a hand such as second or third pair will be the best hand, and sometimes even ace high will win the hand.  Playing big pots in situations like these will lead to bigger swings, which will cause bigger headaches (headaches in poker are inevitable; when you can do something to minimize them you should do that if possible).

Let’s say for example you raise early in a tournament in late position with a hand like ATs and get one caller out of the blinds.  The flop comes a rainbow JT4.  When the player in the blinds checks, most players will hit the “bet pot” button.  They figure, “I have middle pair, it is probably the best hand, I need to bet.”  This is true, but let’s think about the size of that bet.  How big of a pot do you wish to play with middle pair?  I don’t like playing bit pots with middle pair, especially early in tournaments.  Let’s take it one step further.  What if your opponent is a tricky player who may check-raise you with draws or even on total bluffs.  Can you (profitably) call him with just your middle pair?  You’d better have a pretty good read. 

My suggestion is to get in the habit of betting about two-thirds of the pot on your continuation bets on the flop.  You will find yourself playing less huge pots (unless you decide to make larger bets on the turn or river) and you can “take a stab” at more pots without risking too many chips.  You should get in the habit of changing the size of your bets, as long as your mix up your bet sizing (do not bet the same amount every time with draws, or overbet top pair, etc.).

Here is another situation where incorrect bet sizing hurts a player.  Let’s say you raise 78s in middle position in a cash game.  The flop comes 832.  This is a pretty good flop for you, so you decide to bet.   The turn comes a 6.  You still have top pair, which is probably the best hand.  You think to yourself, “I probably have the best hand, I should bet.”  I think this is incorrect. How many hands can you beat that will call a bet on the turn?  The answer is not many, unless you are paying a really weak player.  The other player could have made a straight, could have a set, an overpair, or an 8 with a better kicker.  The point is, he WILL call with these hands, but he will probably fold any hand you can beat.  A lot of players will bet here in this spot, and unnecessarily get themselves involved in a big pot that they will almost surely lose.  I would check in this situation, and decide what to do on the river based on the card and my opponent.

I see many people get themselves into big trouble on UB because they are “betting pot” too often or making bets in situations where they will only get called if they are beat.  I recommend trying to keep the size of the pot small in situations where you are unsure you have the best hand.