By "extra outs," I am referring to situations in which you appear to have a simple draw, such as an open-end straight draw or a flush draw, but actually have additional ways of improving to the best hand. These extra outs are frequently overlooked by players during the heat of battle. They may fold when they should call, and call when they should raise.
Unless otherwise noted, the following hands were taken from live games. As such, not all of the plays leading up to the problem in question are necessarily correct, but they are usually reasonable.
Hand No. 1 (unspecified limit hold'em game): This hypothetical problem was taken from a very popular book on hold'em, primarily aimed at beginners. You are heads up, and hold the A
10 with a flop of J 9
5. The author states that you should fold when bet into because you are not getting the right pot odds to chase a flush draw. What should you do?
Answer: Raise, with calling a distant second, and folding utterly absurd. First, your opponent may fold and you have outs if he doesn't. Second, the author assumes that you must make your flush to win. But, unless your lone opponent leads with only sets and two-pair type hands, your ace overcard represents three additional outs if he is leading with top pair without an ace kicker. If he is leading with middle pair or bottom pair, a 10 gives you three more outs to improve to the best hand. In a heads-up situation, your opponent might well be betting any piece of the board or with nothing at all. The point is that you could have up to six additional outs beyond your flush draw. These extra outs could dramatically improve your winning chances from being a 2-to-1 dog by the river to being about even money.
Hand No. 2 ($10-$20 game): You are in the cutoff seat with the A 3. Four players limp in, and you also limp in. The button raises, and the limpers and you call. There is $135 in the pot and six players. The flop is 9 7 4. The first limper comes out betting. The remaining players between you and the bettor fold. What should you do?
Answer: Raise. Let us assume the first limper would not lead into a large field like this, which includes a preflop raiser, without at least top pair. You have nine outs to the nut flush. You also have three overcard outs with your ace. But if the button was raising preflop with A-K, A-Q, or A-J suited, your overcard is not an out. With this large a pot, the button has an easy overcard call for one bet. But if you raise, you may drive out the button and increase your winning chances. There is $145 in the pot. For an extra $10, it may be worth it.
In the actual hand, the cutoff raised, and the button reluctantly folded. The flop bettor made it three bets, and the cutoff called. The turn was a blank, and both players checked. The river was a blank, and it was checked down. The cutoff won with ace high, as his opponent showed the K Q. The button moaned, mumbling something about having A-K.
Hand No. 3 (unspecified limit hold'em game): This is another example from a prominent book on limit hold'em. You are on the button with the A
K and it is an "action pot with five or six players in it." The flop is J 10 2. The whole field checks. The author claims that "betting your large flush draw is the worst play you can make." What should you do?
Answer: Bet. In all probability this is a large pot, since you would have raised preflop with A-K suited, especially from the button. So, the pot would have at least 10-12 bets already in it. You have a lot more going for you than just a "large flush draw." Any queen gives you the nut straight. So, you have 12 outs to the nut flush or the nut straight, which you will make by the river almost half the time. Furthermore, you have six additional outs to top pair, top kicker, which could end up as the best hand despite the scary board and the large field. These extra outs dramatically increase your equity.
Hand No. 4 ($30-$60 game): You limp in from middle position while holding the A 3 behind an early-position limper. The cutoff and small blind also limp in. There is $150 in the pot and five players. The flop is K
5 4. The small blind bets, the big blind raises, and the early-position player folds. What should you do?
Answer: Reraise. You have a megadraw with nine flush outs, three outs to a wheel, and three overcard outs. The bettor could be leading with top pair, and the raiser could have top pair with a good kicker. When this happens, you have all 15 outs working, making you better than even money to improve your hand by the river. The reraise gets in extra money when you hit, and may buy you a free card if you miss. Some players believe they are drawing and should simply call, thereby encouraging other players to stay in. But the presence of extra outs frequently changes your situation from being an underdog to being a favorite. A raise here can almost be viewed as a value raise. Once in a while, you may drive out someone who would have taken a card off to end up with the best hand, resulting in your ending up with the best hand instead. For example, if you drive out an ace, you may have purchased two additional outs, as in the earlier example. Although this rarely happens, when it does, you win an entire pot instead of losing one.
Hand No. 5 ($30-$60 game): You are on the button with the J 9. An early-position player and the cutoff limp in. You call, as does the small blind. There is $150 in the pot and five players. The flop is K 7 3, giving you a flush draw. It is checked to you. What should you do?
Answer: Bet. Frequently, it is better to check an ordinary draw (that is, a flush draw or an open-end straight draw with no other outs) when facing four or more opponents, since your likelihood of winning the pot outright is too small to merit betting. Furthermore, you do not want to bet in these situations and get raised, thereby driving out players. So, what is different about this hand? The flop is king-rag-rag. Yes, there is a two-flush, but you are the one with the flush draw. All four of your opponents have checked to you. This means that in all likelihood, no one has a king. When this is the case, a jack or a 9 could be outs. Furthermore, by betting, you can represent a top pair of kings. If another king appears on the turn, you will most likely be checked to, and your opponents will usually fold when you bet, fearful that you now have trips. So, a king becomes a "pseudo" out. You also may be buying outs by driving out a bigger jack or a bigger 9.
Hand No. 6 ($10-$20 game): You limp in from middle position behind two early-position limpers with the A 5. Only the small blind calls behind you. There is $50 in the pot and five players. The flop is K 10 4. It is checked to the first early-position player, who bets, and the next player calls. You decide just to call rather than raise. The small blind calls and the big blind folds. There is $90 in the pot and four players. The turn is the 2. The small blind bets, the first early-position player raises, and the next player makes it three bets. What should you do?
Answer: Call. There is $210 in the pot and it costs you $60 right now to call. It is pretty obvious from the strong betting that someone has at least two pair and maybe even a set. Furthermore, you can call now only to have the pot get four-bet and even capped. Just considering your flush outs, there are nine cards that give you the flush. There are 46 unseen cards, so your drawing odds are 37-to-9 against, and your current pot odds are only about 3.5-to-1. They may get slightly better depending upon who else calls. If the betting gets capped, your pot odds will drop to about 3-to-1. Furthermore, two of your outs pair the board, which could give one of your opponents a full house. This means you have only seven clean flush outs, reducing your drawing odds to 39-to-7 against. One could argue that on the basis of your flush draw alone, it is close between calling and folding. But the deuce on the turn has given you a straight draw with any trey, so you have three additional outs. Furthermore, these three outs look very clean, because they cannot give someone a better hand (ignoring the remote possibility of someone having 6-5). So, you have 10 clean outs, which means your drawing odds are 36-to-10 against when someone has outs to a full house, and somewhat more otherwise. When you factor in the additional money you figure to collect at the river if you hit one of these 10 clean outs, you have a call. Again, those extra outs have made a difference.
Editor's note: Jim Brier has co-authored a new book with Bob Ciaffone entitled Middle Limit Holdem Poker. It is available through Card Player.