At the recent World Poker Open, there was no limit to the side action in pot-limit hold'em. Players in the South love the game, and for good reason: Pot-limit hold'em is an intriguing "action" game that has big profit potential for skillful players.
One type of hand that requires a lot of skill to play in pot-limit hold'em is a drawing hand. When you have a draw, there are times in pot-limit ring games and tournaments when you might aggressively bet it because you think you have a reasonable chance of winning the pot. But there are other times when you are far better off just taking a free card, especially when you are playing against tricky and aggressive players who do a lot of check-raising.
For example, suppose that you have slipped into the pot from late position with the A
8. The flop comes K 4 2
. Three people sitting in front of you are in the pot, and two of them are tricky, aggressive players. With this flop, you often would take a card off if somebody bet, because you have an overcard and the nut-flush draw. But what if nobody bets on the flop and the action is passed to you? Against tricky and aggressive opponents, it usually is correct to check and take the free card.
If you place a bet, especially a pot-sized bet, you will have to jeopardize too many of your chips to draw if somebody comes over the top of you with a maximum reraise – unless either one of you is so short-stacked that you decide to go with the hand. You are better off taking the free card and trying to hit your draw for nothing in this multiway-pot scenario.
Now, suppose that you're up against only one opponent with the A 8 and the same K 4 2 flop. You made a positional raise before the flop, the big blind called you, and now you are head up. If he checks to you on the flop, you can bet the hand. Or, say that in addition to the big blind, one limper is in the pot, and they both are somewhat passive players. If they both check to you on the flop, you can bet. Anytime you think a bet will win the pot for you, go ahead and bet. Since a king is on the board, they may put you on a pair of kings rather than a flush draw. If neither of them has a king, it will be difficult for them to call your button bet. Or, one of them may call you with a "little king" (K-7, for example). In that case, he probably will check to you on the turn, and you can also check if you don't improve and wait for the river card to try to make your hand.
Of course, if you think it will win the pot, you can make a second bet on the turn, but that is a judgment call based on your knowledge of your opponents. A bet gives your opponents the opportunity to come over the top of you. There always is the danger that you could have made your hand cheaply, whereas you might get blown off the pot if you are too aggressive, when you could have had a chance to make your hand cheaply.
Remember that in pot-limit or no-limit, players can distort the size of the pot by putting in a significant bet, raise, or reraise. With a hand that you probably will make only one time in three, you will be paying too high a price if you have to put in a large amount of money to draw to it. That is why you have to be very selective when you have a drawing hand. Some players play drawing hands too aggressively, rather than kicking back and playing them more passively.
Another situation of a similar nature comes up when you flop bottom two pair and are first to act. Suppose that you are in the blind with 8-7, and the flop comes J-8-7. Bottom two pair can be a dangerous hand in this scenario. Say that you lead at the pot against several players and one of them comes over the top of you with a huge raise. There could be a straight, a set, or top two pair out there. In this situation, it is better to check from the front and see what happens than make a major commitment to the pot. If you have the same bottom two pair in last position, you might put in a bet if it is checked to you, taking the risk of being check-raised.
Now, say that you are in late position in an unraised pot with only two other people and have flopped bottom two pair. One of your opponents, a known aggressive player who will represent hands that he doesn't have, bets in front you. In this case, you might come over the top of him to protect your two pair.
Always be leery of betting yourself off a hand that has some potential. If you can get a free card that may make the hand for you, oftentimes the superior strategy is to take the free card. When you make a risky bet, you open it up for a tricky and aggressive player to come over the top of you and force you to fold, when you could have gotten a free card that possibly could have made your hand. And you miss out on the action – the profit – that you may have gotten from it.
If we make our draws, maybe we'll both draw a seat at the final table, where I hope to meet you one day soon.
Editor's note: Tom McEvoy and T.J. Cloutier are the co-authors of Championship No-Limit & Pot-Limit Hold'em, which is available through Card Player. Visit www.pokerbooks.com for more details about the Championship series of poker books.