How to Play Texas Holdem: Poker Betting
Knowing how to bet well in a poker game is almost as important as
knowing what hand beats what - you want to know what to bet ON, but
the way you do, when you do it and how much you bet is very important.
This is just a brief introduction to how it works, though, and you'll
want to read up more on the subject to really get comfortable with
it.
There are four different types of bets that can be made during a
round of betting: the opening bet, the raise, the re-raise, and the
cap. The opening bet and the raise are pretty self-explanatory; the
re-raise is literally calling a player's raise and then raising on
top of them. The cap really only occurs in limit games, and it's
is the final allowed raise during a betting round, but this can change
from game to game.
There are four rounds of betting in Texas Holdem, and
this is why games are set up as $5/$10 or $10/$20 or something along
those lines. During the first two betting rounds the first number
is the minimum bet, and during the last two rounds (the Turn and
the River) the second number is the minimum bet. So for example,
if you're playing a $10/$20 game, the first and second round bet
limit would be $10, and the Turn and River bet limit would be $20.
There are a few different tactics you can employ in
betting:
Stealing Blinds
When you're on the button (the Dealer) and the only other
players in the hand are the Small Blind and the Big Blind,
considering raising. The blinds may fold, leaving you with their
money. It's not a way to make lots of cash, but if you steaal
enough blinds it will definitely add up, especially as the
blinds get higher and higher as the game goes on. |
Check Raising
This is checking to an opponent in the hopes of luring them
into a bet, and the re-raising on top of them. The idea is to
give them a false sense of security with your check, and then
bringing them deeper into the pot. If they've already raised
once, they're likely to match you re-raise. |
Squeezing
Squeezing is betting when you already have a good hand and
suspect that your opponents are on a draw (waiting for cards
to come up on the board to make their hand). For example, say
you've got the top pair with the best kicker; the odds are
against their hitting their straight or their flush, & this
way you limit their pot odds. |
Texas Holdem Rules | Poker
Hands | Betting
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