Big hand, big pot, weak hand, small pot

It is really quite simple if you flop a strong hand, wants to increase the pot. If you hold a weak hand, however, is attempting to keep small pot to. 

Many players make the mistake of building with no more than a couple big pots, only to fold to nnoch but if the bottom is too big.

I will now develop an alternative strategy and show you how to control the pot, if you have a rather weak hand holds, and how to build, if you hold a very strong hand. Let's look at the following example:

The game is played $ 1 / $ 2, and Hertzian the effective stacks are at $ 200 We get A K  on the button. The two players in the blinds are solid, tight-aggressive player.It is folded around to us and we will increase to $ 8th The small blind is paid, the big blind folds.

The flop is K  3  5  . The opponent checks and we put $ 15 The Gegnr paid. the turn is on the 6  . The opponent checks and we put $ 35 The enemy paid.

The river is on the 6  . The enemy is $ 100

An ugly thing. We hold a strong hand, and our opponents time on the river suddenly eniorm much strength. A fold is as bad as a call.

The situation is complicated because the pot is very large, and our hand is strong, but it is not the monster, with the chips in the middle we would all like to see. Had we checked the bottom better, would be our decision on the river much easier.

Big hand, big pot

If we flop a strong hand, we want to lose our opponent's entire stack.

What exactly is a "strong hand" This question can not be answered so easily. It could be a set or a straight, two pair or even top pair. I define a strong hand than a hand with which I against a wants to play certain opponents around the entire stack.

This is a fairly elastic description. Against a loose player, it may be correct to play with a pair of a big pot. For another, tight player can be the same a big mistake.Certainly one can say just when the table exactly observed and seen through his opponents.

The stack is a tool. It is used to remove the chips to another person. This only works if you risk its own stack. You can decide, however, even when you risk his stack.

So you should do this only if you have a strong hand. One should carefully avoid falling into the situation of having to fold in a large pot. We need to keep control of the pot size. If the pot is large, we are responsible, and we'd better keep a strong hand.

Otherwise we will hand again by the Spirit. We had a big hand from the beginning, but then the situation has changed? Or we have slowly built up a big pot, we really had not relative with the right hand for that?

Instead of building big pots with all sorts of hands and then having to fold, you should plan each hand. From the very beginning you have to know how much action you want to have with his hand, and if there is no single source for a big pot, you act accordingly.

Weak hand, small pot

Now that we have defined a strong hand, it is easy to explain a weak hand: This is a hand with which we do not play a big pot.

Basically you should not risk his stack, if there be only a couple. If you gecall, it is usually returned. So if you only hold top pair, you have to control the pot size.

Remember that you are responsible for the hands that you play. With strong hands to build big pots with unsteady hands, we control the pot size active, so we do not get into a situation of having to make a difficult decision ..

If we continue to have the pot control, we make it very difficult for our opponents to win our stack. Therefore, many players use successfully to a loose-aggressive strategy.

It looks like they would play completely arbitrary, but it is true only as long as the pots are small. But if it is a biggest pot you can be sure that they keep a strong hand.

Pot control can and should be used if you hold a hand that is not strong enough to risk the entire stack. Such a hand may be second pair, top pair or, in some cases even an over-pair. It all depends, who we play.

For example, pot control by a check on the turn

The lot: $ 1 / $ 2, $ 200 effective stacks The players in the blinds are solid TAGs. It is folded around to us. We consider K  Q  . We increase to $ 6 The SB folds, BB paid.

The flop comes Q  3  7  . The BB checked, we put $ 9, call. The turn comes on the 3  . The BB checks, we check also.

This is a good example for pot control. Our source - top pair, good kicker - is strong. But it's not a monster, and we do so not necessarily against a TAG risking our entire stack.We can assume that these opponents are not paid on three streets, if he does not hold any hand that is better than ours.

Take, for example, to that he had flopped a set. After a check-raise on the turn we may have to fold the better hand, although we have already invested money. A check behind the pot holds small for the case that we are behind.

If our opponents now rely on the river, the pot is small enough to justify a call. We come to a showdown for the same price we had paid for a bet on the turn! In addition, the check he tempted with a worse than to put our hands or calling. A true win-win situation.

Example: defending a vulnerable hand

The lot: $ 1 / $ 2 No Limit, $ 200 effective stacks We raise from middle position with A K  . It is folded to BB who pays. The flop comes K  6  7  .

Your opponent checks and we put $ 10 Call. The turn comes at the 2  , And then checked out our opponents. NMUN we set $ 25

This board is far too dangerous to allow a free card. The opponent's range includes a number of possible draws here, and on the river we can make many cards difficulties.So we have to to protect our hands. It is usually a mistake to give free cards when your own hand is vulnerable.

Pot control, like most poker tricks no Gambit, that you can use at any time. It depends on the situation. If you know that the enemy elects to call three streets with a hand that is worse than their own, then you should of course also mercilessly beds.

It should now be clear by then that pot control necessary if our hand is not strong enough to play against each opponent a big pot.

So you save the big pots on the strong hands, and when the hand is not strong, protect your chips.