Bet or check that river?
By Joe Hill
Fixed-limit Texas hold'em poker is often a pretty straight-forward game. When you think you have the best hand, you bet; and when you have a draw and think you can force your opponents to lay down their hands, you also bet. But if you do not think they will fold, or you fear a raise, then you do not raise your draw. You check and call.
There are, however, situations when your decisions are not that easy. They often occur when you play from early position, bet on the flop or the turn, and a scare card appears on the turn or the river. Your hand could still be the best but you could also have been outdrawn. When this happens, you are usually faced with these options: bet, but fold to a raise, check and call a bet, and check with the intention of folding to a bet.
The more players there are in the pot, the easier it is to make these decisions. Say that you hold Jh Js and raise preflop from early position. Three players call and the flop comes: Jc Tc 2s. You bet and everybody calls. The turn comes: 3d. You bet with your set of jacks and two players call. The river comes: Ac.
The river was definitely scary but you have a set and decide to carry on betting with it. Your first opponent instantly raises, and the other player ponders for a while before he re-raises. Now, what should you do? You are forced to fold, unless both players are proven maniacs. There are two possible straights and a flush, and the reraise clinches it. At least one of them has you beat, maybe both.
Of the three options, bet-fold, check-call, or check-fold, which is the best option? Against good competition, check-fold is probably best. Against loose players, check-call. On this board, you do not want to bet out even against spastics.
Against one opponent
When only one opponent is left, the decisions can get even more complicated. When I play limit Texas holdem, on the river I always ask myself: “If I bet, is there any possible worse hand that a villain would actually call with?" If not, I have to check.
Let's say that you raise preflop with Ad Qd. The player on the button calls you and the flop comes: 9d 8d 2s. You have a flush draw with two over-cards and wisely bet. Your opponent instantly calls and the turn comes: 3s. You bet again and the other player calls. The river comes: 3c - giving you only ace high.
| On the river I always ask myself: “If I bet, is there any possible worse hand that a villain would actually call with?" |
If you bet here, a worse hand is unlikely to call. If he has a missed draw, he is folding, so your bet gains nothing. But if he has you beat (with a pair or flush), he is definitely calling, or maybe raising, so a bet gets you into trouble. However, you could still have the best hand. Your opponent's pattern of calls suggests a possible draw. He might have a straight draw (JT, JQ, TQ) or a flush draw, and they missed just like yours (the two 3s are unlikely to have helped him). So your ace-high might be good, so you check-call. Here is a bonus from this move: if your opponent is the type who will bluff a missed draw, then your river check induces a bluff. You call it, and collect one more bet. Another possible action is a check-fold, provided you know the person. If your opponent is so tight he hardly ever bluffs, than a bet means you are beat.
Now what if you traded places in this hand, putting you on the button? If you were the one calling all those bets, how should you play the river? If you have just a pair, and the opponent finally checks the river, you probably do not want to bet. If he missed a draw, he's folding, giving you nothing. If he has a made hand, then he'll call or check-raise, increasing your loss. If he bets out, you call with your pair, but probably do not raise, for the same reasons. What if you were drawing, but missed? If he checks the river, this is a good time for a bluff, because there are some hands better than yours he might fold. A low pocket pair may finally give up. If the villain had a small piece of the board, like a 2 or maybe even an 8, he also might give up, especially if he also had a draw that missed. In limit poker, the one little extra bet won or saved here or there is the difference between okay players and good ones.
So what's the lesson here? Only bet when there's a good chance that your opponent will call you with an inferior holding, or when there's a good chance that he will fold a hand better than yours - also known as a bluff.
