A flop is the most important part of a game as very serious decisions are made at this time. Five cards are already known and now you may decide either to stay in the game or check-fold. Bets are still not very high at the flop. Playing correctly will help you judge your position correctly. You will also be able to get a great deal of information about your contenders' hands and make an approximate plan for playing on a turn and a river. Playing incorrectly at this stage can cause many problems later on. If you want a big win, follow this advice.
Make correct bets. By playing small limits, you will often come across contenders who make unusual bets on the flop, such as less than half the bank or even the minimum bet of 1BB. Never follow their lead. Bets like that won't get you anywhere. Instead, it's best to just check.
Medium and small pairs. Play check-fold with such hands on a full-hand table. Sometimes you may call small bets, especially if a bet has been made from the last position and the kicker you have is higher in range than all the cards on the table.
Top pair. If you have a high pair and an ace as a kicker, you should play very aggressively. Your starting bet should be no less than the size of the bank. If there has been a raise, you should re-raise. The size of your re-raise should be the bank size, which is in the centre of the table, plus your contender's bet, multiplied by two (a bank size bet). Such bets can help you get information about the contender's hand. Your contender would call your bet only if they hold one of very few hands. The size of the bet also cuts off any chance of drawing stronger combinations - straights and flushes. Never call with a hand like this. The only reason to simply call would be if you are playing against someone who bluffs too often. A call always leads to big problems. If you don't want to spend much money to re-raise a contender with a big bet before a flop you can't know where you are. If that happens, your opponent will take control over the bank. During the contender's turn, he can speed up the game by making bigger bets. If his hand is strong or becomes stronger, he may slow down on a flop if he thinks his hand is not strong enough. In the event that your opponent re-raises higher after you have made a re-raise the size of the bank, you should definitely fold since your contender's hand is most likely much stronger than yours.
We would suggest the same strategy if your top pair is higher than a ten and your kicker is a king, not an ace.
If your top pair is lower than a ten and you have the position on the flop (By playing the pre-flop correctly, you will not have the top pair of nines and lower out of the position because cards like that are usually folded during the pre-flop), the best decision is to simply call and see what your contender's next move is. If having no position you have got a low top pair (for instance when you play blinds), your bet should be the first. If somebody has made a re-raise in the late positions, you should fold.
Two pairs. If there are two high pairs on the table, you have a very strong hand. Don't slowplay such a hand because it's vulnerable. Play it aggressively on the flop like we suggested for playing with a top pair. Don't stop if your opponent is playing aggressively. Instead, it's best to play your whole stack.
When only one of two pairs is high, you should play the same way. But if you think that your opponent is playing tightly, you may play slower and just check-call.
Set. Having a set is a tremendous advantage on the flop. Even if you see three suited cards on the flop, don't be afraid. If your opponent has got a flush, you have a good chance of drawing a full house.
Sometimes if you have a set, you should slow down the play. But only if you dont give a free card to your opponents. This means that, if you have a set and nobody has made a bet, make a bet like you would if you were playing a high pair. If anyone after you makes re-raises and you see the flop, is not a big deal (no flush and straight draws) In this case, it's best just to call. You may play the same way with the same kind of a flop if somebody has made a big raise before you.
Full-house and higher. Slow down your game when you have these kinds of hands. You will give your contenders a chance to draw a pretty good combination. In this case they will pay your combination out. It doesn't mean you should play check up to the river. Make small bets like half the bank or less will be enough. Bets like that give your opponents a chance to draw their straights and flushes.
Unfinished combinations - Open-ended straight and flush-draw: If you have the last position and all the previous players have checked, play like you have a high pair on the flop. First of all, this will mask your hand and, in the event that somebody has got a flush or a straight, your hand will be paid out well. The second reason to play this way is that you will often get the bank after the flop (it's half a bluff).
If you are in the early positions and have one contender make a bet to get rid of the opponent, you will still have a very good chance to strengthen your hand even if he calls. If you have two or more opponents playing micro limit games, you should check-call. Note that you may call bets having low bank chance taking into account so called potential chance of a bank (somebody may pay a lot after a turn and a river). This is especially true for open-ended straights. Sometimes the contenders at such limits can't see the possibility of a straight. A flush is also very well paid in these situations.
Combined unfinished combinations (gut-shot straight and a flush draw, open-ended straight and a flush-draw, low pair and a flush-draw, gut-shot/open-ended straight made of two cards of a higher range than the cards on the table).
The strongest hand is an open-ended straight and a flush-draw, especially, if it consists of two cards, which are higher (over cards) than those on the table. For instance, if you have KQs and there are Js-2s-T on the table.
You should play a hand like this as a very strong combination. Play re-raise-re-raise up to all in.
If you have a gut-shot straight and a flush-draw made of two over-cards, play the same way as with the combination for an open-ended straight. Other combined draws in micro limit games may be played like an open-ended straight or a flush-draw.
Conclusion. If you start your poker games with micro limits, you need to get used to betting the right amount and the high quality of the game. Learn to denote the strength of your hand by observing the action of the table. Try to see how strong unfinished combinations can be. This may be very difficult for a new player. Playing correctly on a flop allows you to make easier and more logical decisions on a turn and a river.
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