| No limit holdem is an aggressive
game where players make lots of bluffs on the flop. Most hands that are played are
heads-up or three handed by the time the flop hits the table, so most players in late
positions, or the pre-flop aggressors, will make a bet into a flop if no one else has.
Most half-decent players understand how important it is to make continuation bets in an
attempt to pick up a pot where no one has hit the flop. With so many players playing like
this, it can be profitable to stay in hands against the right kind of opponents to counter
this strategy. If you’re in a hand and a
late-position player, or the pre-flop aggressor, makes a bet after the flop comes, it can
sometimes be a good play to see if that opponent will bet at the pot again on the turn if
you call their flop bet. If they think you are trapping them and orphan the pot by
checking the action to you on the turn, you can put in a bet to represent a made hand. If
they missed the board, which will happen often, you can pick up an easy pot without having
to risk a lot of your chips.
One always runs the risk of being wrong and calling down
bets from an opponent with a good hand. You should find that out on the turn, and you
should be choosy when you decide to attempt this play. Try to limit it against players
that you know will put down a missed hand with over cards, and look for situations where
the continuation bet does not fit into a value bet amount for the pot involved. |
