Introduction: Odds and Holdem

Outs and Draws (and the magical rule of four)

Odds and Wagers

Tilted Donkey's Pot Size Rule of Calling

Important Calling Examples

Betting and Raising

Wonders of Betting and Raising

Making Estimates

General Points

Rules of Thumb for Drawing

When you bet or raise two other good things can happen.

1) Everybody may fold and you win the pot outright

2) You take control of the hand, and can often govern whether you "get a free card" or not.

1) Making Everybody Fold

When you call, you only have one way to win the pot; you need to get to the showdown and have the best hand.

When you bet or raise, you have two ways to win!

You can show the best hand at a showdown, or you can have everybody fold to you and win uncontested.

And the odds you get on your wagers are great! Say you have a pot of $9. If you make a complete bluff of $1, you only need to take down the pot one in ten times to break even!

nine out ten times you lose a dollar = -$9

one out of ten times you win nine dollars= +$9

As the pot gets big compared to the bet sizes, bets and raises get very powerful because they lose a small amount when they fail and win a bundle when they work.

Always keep the ratio of the pot size and the bet size (pot/ bet) in mind and go after the pot when the ratio is large and your opponents seem weak. This is the main reason why aggressive play is considered the best play.

Taking Control of the Hand

Another reason for betting and raising is that you take control of the hand. Players are likely to check to the aggressor in later rounds of betting.

Thus, if you are the aggressor, you often get to choose whether there is betting action at later streets. This is is especially true if you are in a late position to act.

Being in command can save you a lot of grief, and you can also gain a lot of information if a usually weak player tries to wrestle control from you.

So if the odds are close for a bet or a raise, don't be afraid to fire one off.

Next Section: Making Estimates