How to avoid giving away a free card

Author: Simon Dexter

By far and away the biggest crime in online poker (apart from stealing another players chips) is giving away a free card. This may sound like stating the obvious, but when it comes to Texas Holdem poker online, far too many players let their opponents in cheaply into a hand and some even for free.

If poker comes down to a series of poker bets between you and your opponents then you want to have the best pot odds at all times and force them into either accepting inferior odds or folding.

Let’s take an example. You’re dealt a pair of kings and the flop comes down K23. You are rightly confident about having the poker best hand and you want to win the pot. Don’t let anyone take a free card - bet or raise - it’s your only option. You may be tempted to try and eek some more cash out of your opponents. Thats all well and good but remember it is about having the best hand after the river card and not on the turn.

There will be a situation when you can get some value out of the pot, but it is best to play the hand correctly each time and that way you will be consistently winning rather than suffering on the river.

Obtaining a Free Card

While not wanting to give free cards away whilst you are playing online poker, it is perfectly acceptable to take one! One example of how to do this is as follows. You are last to act and have a decent drawing hand. Should you raise, it is possible that your opponent will fold or call the bet. If he calls and checks the turn you can check behind him thus giving yourself a free card.

However, this is a risky strategy as should your opponent raise then you have doubled your potential loss. You should only play this way if you sense he has a weak or marginal poker hand.

When playing live, a common ‘tell’ from an opponent is for him to grab hold of their chips when the action comes to you to stop you from betting and taking a free card. Using this tell wisely can reap dividends, but be sure to avoid using this obvious ‘tell’ yourself.

Tags: poker hands, Poker Strategy

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 9th, 2007 at 1:48 pm and is filed under News & Promotions Blog, Poker Tips.