Making a call based on the odds can pay you off big time in Limit Hold’em
If there is one thing that is certain in poker, it is that television and Online Poker have changed the complexion of the game forever. Going back as little as ten years ago, ABC poker players were very successful. As TV started showing horrible river suck-outs time and time again, the younger generation of poker player learned the game thinking that this was the way to go. If there is a draw, they feel as though they have to chase it down.
One thing that the televisions don’t show is the amount of money or chips that these players lose by not folding when they should. There are always times to head in for the chase, but you cannot do it every time if you want to end up profitable at the end of the year. By knowing the odds and the proper way to play them, you will increase your chances tenfold over the average player.
If you are a Limit Hold’em player, you are going to be making a lot of calls based on the odds. In a multi-player hand, you are pretty much getting priced in on just about every draw that you will be chasing. There are even times that you are going to call on the river because of the amount of money that is in the pot. It may sound like you are going against everything you have been told about poker, but I assure you that this decision will pay off in the long run.
Say you are playing in a $10/$20 limit 6 handed game. You get dealt QQ and pre-flop raise and have two callers with the SB folding. You now have $65 in the pot. The flop comes out with a board of 10s-6s-4h. It gets checked to you and you bet again and both players call you, $95 are now in the pot. The turn card is dealt and it is a Jh. You bet out on the hand and are immediately raised; the third player folds and you call so there is now a total of $175 in the pot. The other player could be on a draw, maybe he had 10J in his hand, or maybe he had AJ and caught on the turn. Regardless, you still feel as though you are ahead in the hand and your call on the turn means you are absolutely going to call on the river regardless of the card.
Now the river card is dealt and it is a Ks. You check and your opponent fired out another $20 bet and before you make the call, there is a total of $195 in the pot. If you think the move is to fold because you are afraid of the straight, high card or flush, you need to smack yourself in the head. You are getting 10:1 odds to see what your opponent has at that point. This means that all you have to do is catch him bluffing one out of ten times and this move pays you off. If you can catch them twice, you are up a ton of money.
You cannot always assume that everyone hits their hand when they raise. In this scenario, your opponent very well may have been chasing the flush, but he also could have just as easily gone it with AJ and hit the turn. Just because he bet on the river does not mean that he chased down the flush. Make that call every time and remember that you can lose 90% of your hands like this and you are still even. Win 20% of them and you are on easy street!
