Choosing to play a starting hand is the biggest decision you will make while playing Texas Hold'em. Deciding whether to continue playing after seeing the flop will be your second biggest decision. It can also be one of the most costly decisions if you continue after the flop with an inferior hand. It is said that the flop defines your hand. That is because after the flop your hand will be 71 percent complete. Where does this figure come from? Assuming you play your hand out to the end, it will consist of seven cards. After the flop you have seen five cards or 5 / 7 of the final hand, which is equal to 71 percent. With this much of your hand complete you should have enough information to determine whether to continue.

Deciding to continue playing after the flop is not as easy as choosing a starting hand. There are only 169 two-card combinations for starting hands, but there are 19,600 three-card combinations that can appear on the flop. Combine this with the two cards in your hand and there are 2,598,960 five-card combinations that can be made. After waiting patiently for the correct starting hand, the sad reality is that most of the time you won't like the flop.
Poker writer Shane Smith coined the phrase, "Fit or Fold." You will want to use this criterion when deciding to continue playing the hand. If the flop fits your hand, you will continue playing it. If the flop does not fit your hand, you must fold. The flop can fit your hand three different ways.

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Just because you will not be doing much bluffing does not mean there won't be any going on in the game. Some players in low-limit games think that bluffing is an important part of the game and they will try it whenever possible. If there is a maniac in the game, this player may try to run over other players by raising and bluffing. If it succeeds, he will keep doing it. You can't call these players with anything just to try and catch them bluffing. Wait until you have a legitimate hand and then nail them with a raise of your own.

Be aware that many players will try to bluff on the river. If they have a busted draw, they may try betting or raising to win the pot. If you have a legitimate hand, and there is substantial money in the pot, you should call. If the pot contains $90 and it will cost you $6 to call a raise, you are getting 15:1 odds. It is better to lose $6 if you call and lose, than to forfeit $90 if you toss away the winning hand.

• Bluffing And Semi-bluffing In Poker (0)
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In low-limit games, bluffing will usually be an exercise in futility. The reason for this is that there are usually many players calling to the end. It is easier to bluff one or maybe two players, but it will be almost impossible to bluff everyone in a multiway pot. If there are any calling stations in your game, you should not even attempt a single bluff. If you find yourself heads up with a tight player, you may succeed but should refrain from all out bluffs in most situations. There will usually be someone wanting to "keep you honest" by calling your bet. That said, there is a type of bluffing that you can incorporate into your game; it is called semi-bluffing.

Poker expert/author David Sklansky coined the phrase semi-bluffing. It is a profitable technique that is used by advanced players. Unlike a bluff, when you have nothing, semi-bluffing is done when your hand is not strong enough to win the pot at the time, but does have the potential of improving to the best hand. If you bet, you are hoping that the other players will fold and you will win the pot without going any further. If you are called, then you still have a chance that your hand will improve to be the best hand.
Many semi-bluffing situations will come when you have a flush or straight draw. Raising on the flop could win you the pot or get you a free card.

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If you are on the receiving end of a check-raise, you have to ask yo"r' self, does this player want me to call? Again, you have to look at the position of the check-raiser to determine if he is attempting to bin" you into folding, or trying to suck you into putting more money i" the pot.

Take a look at the board and determine how your hand stands up against the best hand that can be made. If the check raise came on the turn when the limits were double you can figure that the raiser is trying to get you to call two bets on the turn and another one on the river. Unless you have a powerful hand of your own, this is usually a good time to get out while you can do so cheaply.

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heck-raising is when you check your hand and then raise when another player bets. In home games, the idea of check-raising is con-idered sandbagging and is frowned upon or even not allowed. However, it is allowed in most casino poker rooms and is a powerful tool to help you extract more money from your fellow players.

Check raising is a good way to get more money in the pot when you think you have the best hand. When you have a hand that can't be beaten you would want to slowplay, but if your hand is susceptible to a stronger hand you may want to utilize the check-raise. When you check-raise you are also looking to eliminate some of the players thus narrowing the field. This will depend on the position of the player you are check-raising.

A good opportunity for a check-raise comes when the player to your immediate left has raised before the flop. If you flop a strong hand and think that you have the pre-flop raiser beaten, it will be to your advantage to check-raise. If you bet, the player to your left may raise you immediately. This would force all the other players to either cold call two bets or fold. If you are certain he will bet, then you can check. Most of the other players will assume that the pre-flop player would naturally bet after the flop and many will call one bet. When the action gets back to you, a check raise will force them to call one more bet rather than two. Most players, having already called, will call a single raise.

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In Texas Hold'em you are not trying to win the greatest number of pots. You are trying to play correctly and win the most money. Two ways you can increase the money you win is with slowplaying and check raising. Both of these tactics have sometimes been referred to as "sandbagging" but there is nothing underhanded about either method. It is an acceptable practice used by smart players. Slowplaying is when you play a strong hand weakly to keep as many players in the hand, thus contributing to the growth of the pot.

You should slowplay your hand when it is very strong and you know that by betting all the other players will fold. Instead of betting, you would check and you would just call instead of raising if someone bets before you. You do this to conceal the strength of your hand. When you have the nuts or a monster hand that is unlikely to be beaten, you can give your opponents an opportunity to draw into a hand that will be second best.

If you held and the flop was
you have a full house. Unless someone has A-A in the pocket you have the best hand. Someone holding two diamonds has a flush draw. A player with K-Q, K-T, or Q-T has a straight draw. In this situation you don't mind checking and giving a free card. If it is bet, you should just call since a raise may drive out the other players. Better to let someone make a flush or straight that will be second best to your full house. You will also get action from anyone holding a single Jack who has just made trips.
Another example of a hand to slowplay is:

If you held
and the flop was

Although most of the time you won't want to slowplay trips, it would be correct to slow play this hand. It is extremely unlikely
that a player would be playing 7-2 unless he is the big blind. A player with the fourth Queen will have made top pair and will give you action. A player with two overcards such as A-K may be hoping to pair up. In low-limit games many players will play with a single Ace hoping to catch one on the turn or river. If an Ace falls on the river, you may even be able to check raise then.

When you slowplay, you have to be fairly certain that allowing someone else a free card won't give them a hand that can beat you. Many players slowplay hands that are only marginally strong and find that they pay the consequences for doing so. Small trips are very vulnerable and you should not slowplay them. Most of the time this would also hold true when you flop top pair. It will depend on the texture of the flop. Again your ability to read the board will be an important factor in deciding whether to slowplay or bet.
You don't want to slowplay AA before the flop unless your are in the blinds and want to disguise the strength of your hand. Aces play best against a small field. You raise to narrow the field. If you are in early or middle position, and decide to slowplay your hand it could be a costly mistake. If you merely call with AA, you are allowing everyone into the hand for a single bet. The more players in the hand, the more chances that one of them will flop a hand that can beat you.

If the flop is

someone holding 8-7 who may have folded if you had raised, has instead flopped a straight. Or the player who will play any connectors like 6-5 in an unraised pot has made two pair. You don't want this to happen. I have learned this from experience. After being burned by trying to slowplay pocket rockets, I now raise immediately with this hand.
It is better to bet out a hand and win a small pot than it is to slowplay a hand and lose a big pot.

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At first glance, the concept of raising to gain a free card may seem a little confusing but it can be a good value. Your position is an important factor when making this play and it works best when you are in late position and there are few players acting after you. When a player raises it usually means that he is holding a strong hand. In many instances, other players will check to the raiser on the next betting round for fear of being raised if they bet. If you have raised from late position and it is checked to you, you can also check and have the opportunity of seeing the next card for free.

This play is used a lot of the times on the flop when the betting limits are lower. In a $3/$6 game, the betting limit on the flop is $3; if you raise, it will cost you $6. The next betting round the limit goes to $6. If everyone checks to you on the turn because you raised, you can also check and you will get to see the river card for the price of your raise on the flop, which is $6. If you merely bet on the flop and then someone bets in front of you on the turn, it will cost you $9 to see the river card. By raising on the flop, you have increased the likelihood that it will be checked to you and you will see the turn card for free.

If you raise before the flop from late position, there is a chance that you can see all the way to the river card for free. You raise before the flop and then it is checked to you after the flop. If you check, you will get to see the turn card for free. In a tight game the players may again check to you after the turn card, which means that you can see the river card for free as well. You try to get a free card when you nave a drawing hand and want to try to make your hand as cheaply as possible. However, you need to remember that while you are receiving a free card, all of your opponents are getting one as well. There is an equal chance that they will make their hands with the free cards. If you have raised, and a player bets before it is your turn to act, that usually means he improved his hand with one of the free cards. You may have to abandon your hand.

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