Betting just to bet is one of those silent vices that can destroy a session. To combat it, the author and poker coach Alex Fitzgerald
The first is: what is my opponent unlikely to have? Fitzgerald recommends starting by ruling out the strongest hands instead of trying to immediately build the entire opponent’s range. If a player only called preflop, for example, some premiums lose weight. If they then check-call on a flop full of draws, the probability of sets or two pairs could also be reduced, especially against opponents who usually protect those hands with a check-raise.
“If we can eliminate enough strong hands, that already helps us a lot,” explains Fitzgerald. The exercise allows detecting when there is room to bluff or to bet more thinly for value.
The second question seems obvious, but is often forgotten: what is the purpose of my bet? If we bet for value, we must identify which worse hands can call. If we are bluffing, we must know which better hands we intend to make fold. There is also equity denial: betting to prevent the opponent from realizing the potential of their draws for free.
Alexander Fitzgerald Has Just Over Three Million Dollars In Online Poker And Nearly One Million In Live Tournaments.
Read more Alan Raymundo celebrated in the Main Event of the Godzilla Winter — CodigoPoker
Then a more sophisticated question arises: does my bet size reveal the true strength of my hand? Fitzgerald warns that betting too small on boards with many draws can represent a medium hand looking for a cheap showdown. Against attentive players, that could practically become an invitation to a check-raise.
Finally: what happens if I check? Checking is not a neutral decision. It can give information about our range, allow the opponent to complete their draws for free, or give them room to bluff on later streets.
Alex Fitzgerald’s final advice, author of How to Beat Players Who Never Fold, is especially useful for today’s poker: when the decision is very close between a thin bet and a check, he usually leans towards betting.
The reason? Many players call too much and bluff with check-raises too little.
Four questions, a few seconds of reflection, and a huge difference: stop betting because “it’s time” and start betting because there is a reason.
Read more Flutter changes captain: PokerStars loses ground as shares plummet — CodigoPoker
Source: Alex Fitzgerald on poker.org5
