[CrisBrown]

Hiya jay,

A couple of general points.

First, always, ALWAYS know what the nut hand is. If you have top two pair, but there are three of a suit out there, respect the possibility of the flush. If there are three connected cards -- e.g.: J-T-7 -- respect the possibility of the straight. If the board is paired, respect the possibility of a set or a boat. And so on.

I'm not saying you should play scared. You can't fear the nut hand every hand or you'll almost never bet. But when you see the possibility of a monster out there, respect the possibility. Would your opponent have played the hand as he did if he had the cards that would make the monster? How can you get him to define his hand? Will a feeler bet elicit a monster raise? Does he bluff-raise often? These are the kinds of questions you have to ask yourself whenever you're in a pot with a good-but-not-nut hand.

Second, don't be afraid to lay down the "best" hand. I put "best" in scare-quotes because often it seems like it's the best, but there's a better hand hiding in the bushes out there. If you have only top pair, or an overpair, and you bet and get a monster reraise ... think about what hands could be out there, whether your opponent would have played them this way, etc.

Yes, sometimes you'll be folding the best hand. Oh well. The chips you save on second-best hands will probably more than cover the chips you lose on folded best hands.

I hope this helps.

Cris