subject: Pot Sizing as a Road to Poker Profits [print this page] Pot Sizing as a Road to Poker Profits Pot Sizing as a Road to Poker Profits
Pot sizing is an important concept to learn if you want to make a profit at the poker table. The rule is simple: When you hold what appears to be the best hand it is to your advantage to play the hand fast and build a large pot. Conversely, when you are in the hand with a draw or a hand that must improve to be good, bet to keep the pot small.
Playing to Build a Big Pot
The first part of the pot sizing rule is to play fast when you have what appears to be the best hand. By playing fast with these hands you are making your opponent pay to play with second best. You don't want to scare your opponent away. You want them to call you or raise you with a worse hand than yours. In order to accomplish this goal, your bet sizing must appear to be perfectly normal under the circumstances. If you were the pre-flop raiser, for example, a C-bet of around half to two thirds of the pot would appear normal for a wide range of hands on the flop from late position while the same C-bet signifies strength from early position.
If your opponent was the pre-flop raiser, you have the option to check to him. This, too, is a perfectly normal move as it is quite acceptable to check under these circumstances. With a huge hand, if the original raiser bets out you now may check-call or check-raise to take back the lead. If you were not the pre-flop raiser it is suspicious to bet out into the original raiser and might just drive him away. The check-call doesn't allow you to announce a strong hand and gives you little, if any information about the strength of your opponent's hand. With the best hand I prefer the check-raise.
If the board is highly textured with straight and flush draw possibilities, slow-playing the best hand can be dangerous with a set or top two pair. You do not want to give any free cards to your opponent if he could hit a straight or flush on the turn or river. To give free cards, even with the best hand on the flop, is a setup for disaster. If the board is not textured, there are no apparent draws available, then you may want to rely on your opponent to keep betting to build the pot so slowing down is okay if you were not the pre-flop raiser. A check-call in this instance is the correct move. If you check and your opponent checks behind you, then you may feel safe betting out on the turn or just check-calling to trap on the river.
Playing to Keep the Pot Small
When you have a drawing hand, a single pair, or some other hand that, while strong, is not a made hand, it is to your advantage to play for a small pot. If, for example you have a flush draw (9 outs) on the flop, you are 2:1 against to complete your flush on the turn or river but only a 4:1 against to improve with only one card to come on the turn if you haven't completed your hand. Speaking of flush draws, even if you did complete your flush but your hole cards are 76s, you only have a seven-high flush. This is a very weak flush indeed. It is probably worth a stab at the pot, but if challenged, get away from the hand.
If you make your hand on the turn and it is the best hand or appears to be the best hand, then you should treat it accordingly. If you are still drawing on the turn it is time to think about folding to any serious challenge unless the board is one which is highly bluffable and you are in late position. A single shot at the bluff may be okay here but be ready to get away from you hand if challenged.
What if You are Challenged
If you hold the nuts and you are challenged try to contain your joy. I often simply check-call under these circumstances allowing my opponent to bet into me to build a large pot. I hesitate, think for a long time, make noises like I don't know what to do, and then I finally call the bet. I do this on the flop and turn before I spring the trap on the river. I am happy to make my opponent pay me off. This play works well because you often don't have the nuts when you hold the best hand.
With the best hand at the moment, if I bet out and I am challenged with a raise or re-raise I may choose to call if the board is not a textured board. On the other hand, if the board is highly textured, I may choose to bet the pot at this point, applying pressure on my opponent because I am creating a pot that is not offering the right price to call. If, for example, I hold top set and the board is textured for a flush then I am happy to take the pot down right now by making it unprofitable for my opponent to continue on a draw.
If I hold a strong made hand, but it may be second best, say middle or bottom set or top and bottom two pairs, or even a single pair, or a draw, even the nut draw, I am not really interested in creating a huge pot on the come. If I am challenged when I hold these kind of hands, I am faced with a number of choices. If I am in early position and I check and a player in late position makes a standard C-bet I will call behind to see one more card. The standard C-bet generally gives me the right price to call here. If, on the other hand, I am in late position and there is a raise from an opponent in early position, I am likely to give up on the hand unless I sense weakness of some sort or that opponent is very loose and then a call is in order. Generally, I will give up on a hand on the turn if I have not made my draw or my hand does not otherwise improve. There is little sense in going on with less. If I do make my hand, however, I play it like a strong hand to build a larger pot. Incidentally, I do not want to play a draw in a multi-way pot. I am far better off to be heads-up and will quickly give it up if in a multi-way hand. The point here is simple: Never fall in love with a draw or a pair unless you want to go broke.
