Taking Beneficial Risks In Poker

Generally you shouldn’t enter a pot in poker unless you feel you have an advantage. However, in certain cases you want to take a chance when your payout will be well worth it. Eventually you will hit a flop and win a monster pot. Consider it this way, have you ever gotten busted with AA because you let people limp in preflop?

When to Take a Risk

You want to take a risk when you have the potential of winning a big pot without sacrificing much money. For example, when most of the table limps in preflop you need to reconsider folding certain hands. Even if you don’t have much of a hand, you could get lucky and flop anything.

If you happen to flop a strong hand you will get paid off very well, as there are so many players in. Of course this won’t happen often, but when it does you will reap the benefits. By occasionally limping with suited connectors into multi way pots, you can hit a flop hard, and get paid off very nicely.

Specific Hands

If you are one of the last to act at the table, and most people have limped in, you want to play almost all suited cards as well as connecting cards. As you know, you aren’t likely to hit a flush or make a straight, but when that time comes, you will get paid off. One example of this is if you hold 34d in late position, and six people have limped in. This is an easy call, as your hand has great potential to become a monster.

Also, if you’re in the big blind with the same hand, and multiple players have called a small raise, you should call this as well. You’re the last person to act, so you know it won’t be reraised, and you have great pot odds to try and hit a flop.

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When you Make a Flop

If you actually hit a flop, let’s say with the 34d, you still need to be cautious. If the flop is 34K, you need to play the hand aggressively. Anyone with a hand like KQ has a great chance of outdrawing you. If someone in early position bets the flop, and a few players call, you need to put in a large raise. Your goal is to take the pot here, as your hand is vulnerable.

If the flop comes A25, it is another story. Now your hand is very strong, and can only lose to a full house if the board pairs. On the flop you should just call a bet, and if no one bets, check. Depending on what the turn brings, you may have to bet to force draws out. If the turn is a 6, or makes 3 of a suit, then you need to bet out fairly strong, so any long shot draws are forced out.

Final Lesson

If you are late to act and almost everyone at the table is in (and assuming there hasn’t been much of a raise), you’ll want to limp in with any cards that have some sort of potential, such as suited cards, or connecting cards. You can’t expect to win all the time, but it’s worth the risk due to the reward you could get. So remember that if you can get into a big pot cheaply, go for it, but don’t stay in unless you hit or have good odds.