Most people have a vague interpretation of betting in poker that involves wagering random amounts of chips in an effort to appear aggressive and unpredictable.  Unfortunately, this attempt at trying to be unpredictable often results in the player losing chips left and right because they have no idea how to make a bet.  Those who are clueless as to how they should place bets in poker should definitely take a look at these general poker betting rules.

Bet big or get out of the way!

If you’re unsure on how to make bets, a good place to start is by making large wagers whenever you get the notion to bet.  The reason behind this is that too many players make feeble, minimal raises that don’t accomplish anything.  And whether you’re looking to send a message or just get money into the pot, you’ve got to bet big.

Limit the number of pre-flop callers

When you get a really good hand before the flop, you need to lower the amount of players who are going to see the flop.  By limiting the number of players who call pre-flop, you’ll knock out a lot of the potential drawing hands that could hit something big on the turn or river.  Betting 3 to 4 times the big blind is a nice way to make people think twice about seeing the flop.

Make pot-sized bets on later streets

When you have a hand that’s capable of winning the pot, you want to make pot-sized (or bigger) bets in the later streets.  A wager of this size is big enough to get substantial money in the pot, yet not so big that it will scare everyone away.  Plus, this is another good way to knock drawing hands out of the pot.

Continuation betting is one of those poker moves that some people mistakenly use when they think they’re being clever.  Better put, many players misuse c-bets because they don’t realize when a situation is not right for c-betting.  That being said, here’s a look at situations where a c-bet would be the wrong move.

You’re in a pot with several players

The point of a c-bet is to pick up chips after the flop in a dead money situation.  So being in a pot with several players doesn’t exactly present the best situation for making a continuation bet.  If you find yourself locked in a pot with multiple players, your best bet is to just fold when the flop misses you.  The reason being is that more players left in the hand after the flop means one or more of them is very likely to call your bet just to see the turn.

You’re up against a very aggressive player

The ideal player to make a continuation bet against is tight since they’re unlikely to call you assuming they missed the flop as well.  That’s why being in the hand against an aggressive player doesn’t exactly lend itself to a good c-bet – especially if that player has proven to have little regard for money.  Remember, the idea behind a c-bet is to steal the pot with as little trouble as possible.

Your c-bet was called by another player in early position

If you raised from early position, then you’ve given off a strong indication that your hand is very strong.  Unfortunately, that strong hand goes out the window if the flop misses you.  And your problems have only been compounded if the player to your left called the pre-flop raise since it’s likely they had a strong hand too.  It’s even possible that the flop didn’t miss them thus making their hand even stronger.

The word “skill” is most often used in a positive way.  If you are a skilled basketball player, then chances are that you know how to play the game.  Likewise, if you are a skilled poker player, there’s a definite chance that you’re a good player.

However, some players interpret certain poker skills in the wrong way and end up hurting their game as a result.  This isn’t to say they’re bad players….they are just misguided on how to use the skills that they’ve acquired.

For instance, many Limit Hold’em players commit the mistake of folding big hands every time they’re in a bad call situation.  They think that by folding this big hand, they’re actually making a skilled play.  But the reality is that they’re only hurting their bankroll by doing this every time.

To illustrate this point, let’s say you’re holding J-J on the river in a $1/$2 Limit Hold’em game.  The board reads Qs-Jd-10h-9s-7c and there’s $30 in the pot.  Your opponent bets $4 and you’re forced to make a decision on whether or not to call.  You have trips, but there is a very good straight possibility on the board.  In this satiation, a fold would be considered the skilled move because your trips are no good against a straight.  However, folding a big hand here with only a $4 call to make would be a mistake because you only need to win in this situation 1 out of 7 times to make a profit.  Therefore, the skilled play is actually to call.

Another example of where a player might think they’re making a skilled play is the check-raise.  In reality, average players misuse this play more than any other in poker because they overuse it.  And the truth is that you should only use a check-raise if you’ve got a realistic chance to make your opponent fold – it’s not a default move!

There are plenty of other “skills” like this that people use time and time again thus fooling themselves into thinking they’re a good player.  But the key is not to fall into the trap of thinking that a certain play has to be used every time in a certain situation.

After spending 5 minutes learning poker strategy, you should already know that it’s really important to play fewer hands in poker.  Playing fewer hands allows you to save a lot of money by not taking garbage past the flop, and it makes your decisions on later streets easier.  Of course, there are many things to understand in regards to playing tight.

For one thing, your tight play needs to come before the flop….not after.  The reason for this is because you will be making a pre-flop decision on every single hand.  And if you’re frequently playing poor hands before the flop, you are going to be losing a ton of money.  For instance, K-7 suited might seem like a good hand to play because there is an over card and a flush possibility.

However, this is in fact a terrible hand to play because a pair of kings with a 7 kicker isn’t going to win many hands while a pair of 7’s isn’t going to even be top pair after the flop.  As far as the flush goes, you don’t want to be taking a hand to the flop just because it’s suited since this only adds a 2% chance of winning by the river.

Playing poor hands past the flop makes the game so much tougher because you’ll have no idea where you stand.  Holding K-7 leaves you in the dark as to where you’ll stand after the flop whereas having A-K gives you a shot at the two top pairs in addition to straight potential.  By raising with A-K, you can go into the flop with confidence.  You’re not left guessing with something like A-K and your plays after the flop will be much easier.  Just remember: good pre-flop hands make good post-flop hands.

There are plenty of poker players who just can’t bear the thought of folding their over pair – even if it can lose them big money!  Still, many players lose out big with their over pairs in multi-way pots because they keep calling every bet.  But knowing when to fold your over pairs in big pots can save you a lot of money in the long run.  Here’s a look at when it is a good idea to fold an over pair in a multi-way pot:

You’re holding J-J in a $1/$2 No-Limit game while sitting in the big blind.  You also have a $200 stack so you’re not hurting for chips either at this limit.  Two players ahead of you limp in so you make a $10 raise, which is pretty sizeable at 5 times the big blind.  Interestingly enough both players decide to call your bet and the flop is shown to be 9s-10s-7h.

This doesn’t exactly help your cause because there are now flush and straight opportunities on the board.  But it’s likely that you have the best hand still and aren’t faced with pocket Q’s, K’s, or A’s because they would have re-raised you earlier.  So you make an $8 raise which isn’t enough to make the other players run, yet enough to make them think about calling.  Unfortunately, both players call again.

The turn is shown to be an 8d, which would only help someone with an inside straight.  Even still, you’re not sure if your pair of jacks are still good at this point and you are out of position so you just check.  One of the other players lays down a $12 bet and the following player calls.

You aren’t pot committed yet, and with two players in the pot still, your pocket jacks are probably no good so you fold.  This turns out to be a good decision since the other player later turns over a set of 9’s which beats the other person who was playing a flush draw.