Playing Post Flop in Texas Holdem

Post Flop Play in Texas Holdem

Once you have been dealt the hand that was good enough to hold onto pre flop, then you will have to decide whether or not to play post flop and figure out the best way to win the hand. First of all, if you are having second thoughts about your hand, post flop, you should just let go of any marginal hand because it will probably end up costing you more in the long run. Post flop, your hand is 71% complete. If post flop your hand is not improved with a top pair, a straight draw, or a flush draw and someone is up to bet before you, let the hand go and fold. Even if you are in late position and playing a small pair without a dealt set post flop, you should fold the pair.

After the Turn

If you are still in the hand after the turn, and you still believe your hand is the winning hand, then you definitely should bet, but don’t get too feisty. In this position, re-raising after a check, also called check raising, might scare other players out of betting. Furthermore, make them pay for their card; don’t give it to them for free.

Also, at any point post flop, don’t mistakenly wait for the river to magically be the card you need. And speaking of the river, if you are still in the hand after the river, don’t call unless you really think you can win. You also must learn to read your opponents and make a rule for yourself to never reveal your hand when it’s unnecessary; muck if possible.

Your odds of winning

Finally, to succeed post flop in Texas Holdem, you should familiarize yourself with some odd strategies. The experienced players are already calculating their pot odds when deciding whether or not to call your bet. In general, if you multiply the number of “outs” you have, which is the number of possible cards that can make a winning hand for you, by 2, post flop, it will provide you with a rough estimate of your odds.
You can also use the following method: If your are on a flush draw post flop, you have 9 outs, so the pot size must be 5-6 times the bet in front of you; or if you are on an open-ended straight draw, you have 8 outs, so the pot size must be 6-7 times the bet; and if you are on a gut-shot straight draw, you have 4 outs, so the pot size must be 11-12 times the bet.

It all comes down to the fact that the more hands you play, the better you will play because you will eventually gain more post flop experience.