Inadvertently Giving Pot Odds

[RavenJackson]

Thank you for your posts. Just to clarify [and forgive me if I come across as an idiot], on the turn, instead of trying to bet enough to get the button to fold on a draw heavy board I should have kept the pot smaller to take away his incentive to draw and keep myself from being pot committed?

My play on the flop is pretty standard for me. I do not mess around with top set [or any set] with a 2 flush board. I try to push off the flush draw. Maybe this is tight-weak; however, it has worked fairly well for me.

[Lloyd]

You need to stop making pot sized bets with big hands. I don't know any other way to say this. It is very much a beginner's way of playing poker and so easy to play against. There are two primary reasons why you need to bet less. First, you want to make a call enticing to someone but incorrect. A pot sized bet is (usually) not enticing and very easy to fold to. A 1/2 to 2/3 pot size bet is much more enticing but still incorrect for most draws. Of course, you need to be able to get away from your hand if you honestly believe your opponent made theirs, but it seems like you did just that in this example. The second reason you need to make smaller bets with good hands is that you want to be able to make a similar sized bet with a less than premium hand or one that even didn't connect with the board (continuation bets). And you obviously can't be making pot sized bets on missed boards since it will eat away your chips. IMHO, you really need to work on this as you play against better and better players (and it will allow you to dominate weaker players).

There's also a huge difference between playing in a multi-way pot and heads up. In a multi-way pot there are more hands out there and a greater possibility that somebody has the draw you are against. Heads up, you can't always be afraid of every draw.

Regarding the first paragraph, you don't want to bet enough that your opponent folds. You want to bet enough that your opponent makes an incorrect call. Yes, sometimes that means you'll be drawn out on. But long-term that is key to accumulating chips and going deeper in tournaments. It's not just about keeping the pot small so you can get away from it, it's about forcing your opponent to make mistakes and betting less than the pot usually does this.

This topic is addressed a bit in this article in the August issue of the 2+2 magazine.

[tek]

I would have gone all in on the flop with that hand in a tourny. In a cash game, Lloyd's strategy would be correct.

With a flush draw (and heads up to boot) both players have to know it is K's against a heart draw. You can't give anywhere near 2-1 pot odds on the flop with a set. Take the pot down. Give pot odds when you have the nuts.