Texas Holdem Strategy: Hitting A Top Pair

"Hitting a top pair" means that you've paired one of your hole cards with the highest-ranking card on a flop. For example, if you're holding J, 10 and the flop comes out 10, 3, 6, you have that flop's top-pair (10, 10). This in no way means you have the best hand, but is generally considered a good flop. If no one came into the hand with a higher pair, you may be leading the hand at this point. Before going all-in on your top pair, though, here are a few factors you should consider:

The Overpair

How do you know if someone has a higher pair? Well, there really is no way of knowing unless you can feel out your opponents based on their pre-flop actions - and this is hardly an exact science. If, for instance, someone made a considerable raise pre-flop or makes one post-flop from an early position, they may be holding an overpair (i.e., a pair stronger than yours) or they may have flopped three of a kind. In our example above, if someone came into the flop with a pair of queens, they would be holding an overpair, and if they bet big pre-flop, this is probably a good time for you to fold.

The Kicker

In addition to overpairs, you must consider your kicker. A kicker is the unpaired card in your hand that will determine who wins if you and an opponent have the exact same pair. If it's low, someone else could beat you out of the pot, simply by having a higher unpaired card. Obviously, then, you're job is to find out if anyone is holding a higher kicker, but again, you'll have very few chances to do so. This means that you're going to have to go partly on your memory of your opponents' previous actions and partly on their current actions to hash out a vague picture of what each of them are thinking.

If you're in late position, you can monitor your opponents' actions closely and try to sniff out an overpair or a high kicker. If you're last to act with a low kicker and no one has bet before you, or if you're holding a good kicker (an ace or king, for instance), you may be leading the hand and you should make a "value bet."

A "value bet" is any bet you make to bait your opponents into growing the pot. The reasoning is, if you're leading the hand why wouldn't you want to make the pot bigger? The bet shouldn't scare anyone into folding, however - remember, this is not a bluff - so it must be small enough to lure in any opponents who are bluffing or who are holding a lower pair or kicker. Meanwhile, you must also make sure you've thought over your opponents' hands to make sure there isn't anything bigger on the board. After all, a straight, flush or even three-of-a-kind will kill your overpair no matter what, and if an opponent has one of these, it's likely she'll see your bet.

After the Turn

Besides having a strong kicker and no big hands on the board, you should only make a value bet if your top pair is relatively strong to begin with. Keeping your opponents in the hand only increases their chances of pairing their hole cards, and as soon as a higher card than your top pair hits the felt, your hand value drops considerably. You should always assume that someone else has made top pair in this scenario because rarely, if ever, will a player fold on a king or ace. If an ace does show, then, you must always assume that your pair has been trumped.

In order to avoid the above scenario, if you're holding a weak top pair and are confident that your kicker is the best in town (either because it's high, or judging by your opponents' behavior), instead of making a value bet, make a protection bet. A protection bet is a bet that encourages your opponents to fold drawing hands, therefore protecting your hand when it's in the lead. You're not bluffing, so if you get called you still have the best hand at the moment, but if someone wants to draw against you in an attempt to hit a higher pair, he should have to pay for it.

A good protection bet, then, will be about equal to the current pot, thereby driving your opponents' pot odds far below their out odds. If, for instance, someone would normally hang in for the turn, hoping for an ace to make overpair, he will now have to reconsider his game plan because his cumulative pot odds have dropped from, say, 10:1 to 4:1, while his out odds will have risen to, say, 23:1.

Finally, if after trying either the protection bet or the value bet someone still re-raises you considerably, reconsider the strength of your pair and kicker and fold if either are weak. After all, someone may be slowplaying you - and if so, you'll be swallowed whole in the showdown.