subject: Free Poker Games Guide To How To Win Most If the Pot is Split [print this page] Free Poker Games Guide To How To Win Most If the Pot is Split
This free poker online is about split pots and how to get the most from this tricky situation.
When 2 or more players have the same "power" hands at the showdown then the pot split occurs. For example, in a board with 8-9-10-Q-2 both players have a Jack meaning both have a Queen-high straight, therefore, they split.
Or if both players use the board cards as their 5 card hands, for example, if the board is A,K,Q,J,10 where one player has 9,9 and the other Q,J.
Who wins? Both win. Both players have a Broadway Straight and use the board cards as their hand and so the pot is split.
The majority of players think they have to use at least 1 card from their hand to make their final hand. In the example above the 9-9 player may think his straight is King-high, in fact it is Ace-high.
Assuming no flush possibilities, the other player might move all-in. This action could scare player 1 into folding. Don't do it! You both have nuts hands.
Some Straights on the Board are a little bit more suspicious. Like 4-5-6-7-8. Someone bets substantially and now it's up to you whether you call or not, or even raise. Just keep in mind that a Nine can finish you or your opponent.
In this case, you want to represent the Nine. When? If the Board is 6-7-5-4-8, in the order in which they fell? What if it is 4-5-7-6-8? 8-7-5-6-4 or 4-5-8-7-6? On which Board do you think your opponent will be most inclined to represent the Nine so you can fold without remorse? It's important to be as analytic as possible here.
If a board is say 9-9-8-8-8, what then? It's a Full House. Both of you have a Full House already. You have Q-10 for example, and you follow until the river. Then in a jolt your opponent bets enough to put you all-in. Do you call?
It's possible that he's bluffing you with, say, J-10; you both still have the same hand. Your opponent might have the last 8, but if he really did, then he should have folded, because you bet the Flop and the Turn.
Then, with unmistakable confidence, (easy in free poker online maybe) you overtly declare, "I play the Board, I call." If you did, then you?re the 1997 World Series of Poker runner-up, Kevin McBride, who lost to J-9. The winner? Scotty Nguyen (baby, baby, baby). You have Eights full, baby. Scotty had Nines full (9-9-9-8-8).
With the Broadway Straight (with no flush) it is appropriate to call the all-in, and it is a sign of a smart player to do so. (Don?t call yourself smart if you held the 9-9 and you folded.)
But with the above Full House on the board just determine all possible hands that can beat you: a lone Nine or the last Eight. Surely if you have many more chips, just stack them and wait for some more hands.
But read the board well, don't be psyched out by the chatter of the other player. During the interview after the heads-up match, McBride admitted that he called because of what Scotty said to him after Scotty pushed him all-in: "If you call it'll be over baby".
In some boards, such as A-K-2-2-7, if you have an Ace and your opponent bets substantially on the river, you can well put him on the Ace (but not A-K or A-2) and call him, even though you know you can't win. You just split the pot.
If he bets heavily, forcing you to make the hard decision, you might as well fold. Why hope for a tie when you can win later?
No doubt about it this is a tricky area of poker! If it seems hard then my best suggestion to you is to go and practice lots and play poker online free then when you play for money all that free online poker experience will allow you to play with a greater degree of confidence.
