Texas Hold'em poker - Strategy after seeing the flop

Holdem cannot be won without seeing the widow. The decisive point comes after the flop and is critical because the flop redefines playable hands.

Many of the hands that led players to see the flop are rendered worthless and can subsequently be folded. For the rest, you must quickly estimate whether the probability of ending up with the best hand outweighs the pot odds that you are facing. You must also be aware of the risk of improving to only second best. After all, a turn or river card that improves your hand will often improve the hands of the other players.

Following the flop, you should think in terms of three kinds of hands.

1. Leading hands: These are the hands that are probably best at this point. Although these may be excellent, they are often still vulnerable.

Some hands, such as a full-house or an ace high flush, are so strong that they are unlikely to be beaten. In such a case you should direct the focus of you attention to pot management.

The main advice about playing hands that seemed good before the flop, and still appear to be good after the flop has been exposed, is not to fall involve with them if the flop reveals several credible threats.

A hand such as the Ace of hearts and the Queen of diamonds still looks good when the flop shows Queen of spades, 8 of diamonds and 7 of spades, but if several players call your bet, you can be reasonably sure that not only is there a potential spade flush against you but also that virtually every straight possibility is present.

2.Drawing hands: These are hands that require only on more card to become leading hands.

Since you must plan on seeing two rounds of betting to achieve desirable odds, the implied pot odds facing you after the flop will usually be less attractive than the immediate pot odds. The wise course of action is to add the expected size of the bet on the flop to one of the size of the expected bet after the turn.

Concerns about hitting but ending up second best, when added to the prospects of having to see two rounds of betting before you draw succeeds or fails, should instil caution. You should remember that more money is lost on overvalued drawing hands than in any other aspect of Holdem.

The safest drawing hands are either two cards to a high flush when matched by two on the flop, or four cards to the best possible straight in the absence of two cards to a flush in the widow. In either of these two cases, if you hit, you can be pretty sure you have the winner.

2. Chasing hands: These hands will be worthless unless the remaining two cards improve them. If they do not get improved, then simply cut your losses and fold.