Texas Holdem Post-Flop Strategy

Introduction

In Texas Holdem, the flop changes everything. After it, you've effectively seen over half your hand, and often enough, players who were holding nada going into it will end up holding the nuts. Really, it’s impossible to give you a complete set of post-flop strategies because what you should or shouldn’t do depends on your pot odds, your hand and your read on your opponents. There are, however, a few general guidelines that - while they don't cover every post-flop situation you'll get into - should win you the pot in a majority of showdowns:

Post-Flop Rules of Thumb

If you were holding a strong hand pre-flop and the flop is bad for you:

First off, let’s assume you were holding something big, say pocket rockets, prior to the flop and that the flop is not only not good for you, but is very, very bad. This situation would inevitably mean that the three cards on the table are all part of a bigger drawing hand that, if someone has it, will totally blow your bullets out of the water. In this scenario, what you need to do next is a matter of your position, the size of the table and how well you think you know your opponents.

If you’re in an early position at a long-hand table, always try to check into the turn. This is your best option because without having a chance to see the other players’ reactions your only hope of trumping a flush or straight draw is drawing up to trips or a set. Meanwhile, your comparative pot-to-outs odds will get very bad if you start raising the pot yourself. You may, of course, want to raise as a knee-jerk reaction, reasoning that it will make the other players believe you’re holding the nuts. But this move is almost always doomed because at a long-hand table chances are someone is holding the flush or straight and someone else is holding your outs. If you can’t check into the turn (that is, someone raises), simply fold. Yes, we realize mucking a pair of aces might make you sick to your stomach, but we guarantee that getting taken for a ride on the lowest hand in the game (a pair) will make you feel even worse.

If, on the other hand, you’re late at a long-hand table and the flush comes out pretty foul, you’ll have a couple options depending on how your opponents have been playing. More often than not, an early player holding a flush, straight or set will have set up a "trap" by convincing you that they're a certain type of player. Assuming that you don't know your opponents that well, there's really no way to tell whether this is true, but at a table of intelligent players who have consistently proven their abilities, you must assume that it is. The question, then, is not whether someone has a trap up, but when he will spring it; on a big draw, most people - even the best players - will find it hard not to do the maximum damage possible. And only if there's not enough money at risk will they continue playing in their usual mode and save their trap for later.

For this reason, if you're playing at a table of reasonably intelligent players (you should be able to tell because of their win records), you should usually check to someone sitting early who's been playing loose because they will often be slowplaying; you should raise-fold to someone sitting early who's been playing tight because they will normally switch to a looser strategy; and, finally, you should check-fold to someone sitting early who's been playing dumb because they'll usually go for an enormous raise knowing you're first reaction is to underestimate them.

The reasoning behind these rules is that there are only four states trap players can be in: "loose-trap set," "tight-trap set," "dumb-trap set" and "sprung." (There is naturally no such thing as a "smart-trap set" because no one can convincingly pretend to be smarter than he actually is - i.e., there's no way to prove you know something if you don't know it). Most good players will usually set up one of these. The first two can be used at any reasonably competitive table, but the third can only be successfully used at a non-competitive/low-ranked table where a player is unknown or annonymous. Moreover, a player can only set a trap once each game before he moves into the "sprung" state and has to begin playing erratically to keep from being cased. "Sprung" is usually the best time to take advantage of an opponent because he will often go against his better judgment to keep you guessing. If at all possible, you should let the other players at a long-hand table flush each other out until they're all playing this way. Then, you can spring your tight trap by raising an early-seated player who has is already sprung.

At any rate, normal tables full of average- or low-intelligence players shouldn't be a problem. In almost every case, they will either raise too much, signalling that they have the hand - and, incidentally, can't run pot-to-outs ratios - OR they will attempt to slowplay by checking. In either case, you’ll want to check and deny them as much of the pot as possible. If, however, it's still early in the game or the action is so tight you can't get a fix on your opponents, it may be worth raising just slightly from the late position to feel out who’s holding what. Most early-seated players who are holding the nuts and trying to slowplay will inevitably re-raise you slightly in an attempt to get you pot-committed. Otherwise, most players will either fold – if they’re holding nothing – or call – if they’re on a draw but haven’t made their hands yet. Depending on which holds true, you’ll want to cater your next move accordingly. For a re-raise fold outright, and for a call hold steady to the turn. In the second situation, if you don't turn the second-best hand, and meanwhile, all your opponents check, it's OK to raise again. This time if someone calls or re-raises, they might be a better player than you assumed and will probably add a value bet after the river – meaning, of course, that you should fold if they do.

And yet if you do turn trips after the other players call, go for it. Why, you ask? Because in this scenario, odds are your opponents haven’t drawn their hands and will fold at the first sign that the price of poker has gone up. Naturally, there will be times that they’ll continue calling into the river while holding the nuts the entire time. But these situations are so rare that it’s ultimately worth making an attempt.

Now, as for having a bad flop on a short-hand or heads-up table, the order of the day is to instigate some action. Whether you’re early or late in the batting order, always try to raise into the turn and make your opponent pay for his cards. The reason for this is that it’s rare that someone is actually holding the nuts at a short-hand table, and even if he is, he usually won’t let on by being aggressive in an early seat. What’s more, with fewer cards out of the deck, the probability that your own outs were folded earlier in the game will be extremely low - consequently giving you a greater chance to draw them on the turn or river. Just make sure that you watch your opponents' out-to-pot ratios because, if they've been betting with the odds consistently, an over-odds raise or re-raise could mean they've got something.

If the flop is good for you:

Regardless of whether you were holding the heat pre-flop, flopping a great hand is the same all the way around. At a long-hand table, you’ll want to up the ante as much as possible, checking in an early position to encourage a raise from a later player and raising or re-raising in a late position so you can pump up the pot. The main thing, whatever happens, is to get as much money as you can - either by getting a bluffer pot-committed or by getting everyone to fold before the turn - then get out. Remember: You might think playing to the river on a good hand is a good thing, but in the end, your best bet is getting everyone to fold before they have a chance to make their own draws.

Should you, on the other hand, find yourself in the same position at a short-hand table, slowplay the flop by checking. If the other player doesn’t raise, do so yourself after the turn (unless, of course, the turn fills out a better draw). Either way, you’ll probably be denied any big money. But if the other player is dumb enough to follow you in or is already sprung, you’ll probably end up making out like a bandit.

If the flop is so-so for you:

If the flop is so-so for you and wouldn’t pump up anyone else’s hand, now might be your time to bluff or semi-bluff. A re-raise at any size table will mean that someone else has flopped top pair, but if you already have a better pair from the pre-flop or plenty of outs to beat them - for instance, if you're holding an unpaired A,K after a flop of 10,6,2o - you might as well string any opponent dumb enough to back a pair of tens along and take your chances against his drawing two pair or a set. If, on the other hand, you don't have any outs, use a re-raise as a signal to bow out.