Review
One of the more common mistakes made by weak players is drawing too often with
poor pot odds to middle or bottom pair.
The best you can hope for when drawing is five outs, which is 8 to 1 against
improving; however, these odds are often worse:
- You could be drawing practically dead to an opponent's set or two pair.
- An opponent's hand could counterfeit your kicker card, giving him two pair, a
straight, or a flush.
- You could hit your card on the turn, only to lose on the river by an opponent
hitting one of his outs to a flush, straight, three of a kind, or two higher pair.
There are four scenarios when you can play middle or bottom pair:
- You feel there is a good chance that you hold a better hand than your
opponents.
- You have a kicker higher than the highest card on the table and are getting
sufficient pot odds to draw to a hand that you feel could finish as the best
hand.
- Your kicker is weak, but the pot is giving excellent pot odds to draw.
- Your hand is probably not the best, but you are able to justify a semi-bluff bet
or raise by the combination of the probability that you could get your
opponent to fold the best hand, with the probability that you: could improve to
the best hand.
When you are getting decent pot odds to consider drawing, you generally need a
favorable flop so that the risk that your outs are counterfeited is minimized:
- Favorable flops include rainbow flops of all rags or with just one high card.
- Generally you should fold with these dangerous flop types unless you have
some type of flush or straight draw to add value to your hand: three-suited,
two-suited, three-connected (especially medium to high), two connected high
cards, and all high cards.
Whenever you are against one or two opponents, there is a decent chance that you
might have the best hand. You can sometimes bet out hoping to win the pot
immediately, especially if you are acting last. Whenever a lone opponent bets or
raises, strategy is often dependent on the type of player you are against, but folding
is usually the best play.
NEXT...Flush Draws
