Top 2 pairs

When I flop 2 pair or a set on a rainbow board with 2 to a str8 I'll make a good sized bet to push them out. If there is not draws on the board I will normally make a smaller bet asking for a call. One thing I have learned is people will not lay down a flush draw on the flop so if there is 2 suits on the flop I will make a small bet just enough to let them know I have something and then on the turn will make my play depending on if I feel they hit what they were drawing to. If I am sure they missed then I will make a very big bet to push them out of hand or at least make them pay so much to draw that it will hurt them badly if they miss. Still there are people that play bad enough to still call but what can you do, call them a donk and move on. I make the small bets cause i know they will not fold and it will minimize my losses if they hit on the turn then hit them hard on the turn.

I used to play like this too, but i realized its wrong because your giving him good odds to draw to that flush on flop and you can always slow down on the turn and ditch your hand if you really believe he hit his flush. Dont play scared money, safe money is okay but dont give him odds to draw to his flush. Hes only going to hit his flush on the turn 36% of the time so if you got a real strong hand like trips i would bet the pot. i wouldnt go nuts with tptk but two pair or better im gonna bet the pot and tptk im going to bet 3/4ths the pot. I know they are calling stations when it comes to flushes and straights but you want to give them incorect odds on the flop and turn if they miss, make it almost impossable for them to call. make them gamble.

I think it depends on the person you are up against. I have a good friend that plays no fold em hold em when he is on a flush draw that isn't runner-runner. In those situations I know that he wont make it 65-66% of the time. So, I usually make it outrageously expensive for him to stay in it. I've bet three times the pot before and gotten him to call. When I win in a showdown it is great but I have seen him land it at least twice.

But, typically, if I put my opponent on a flush or straight draw, I try to give them the wrong odds to chase it. The nice thing is that if they need the one card and they miss on the turn, you have another chance to give them the wrong odds and win the pot without a showdown.

And, I would rather overbet in that situation because at least I know they are not getting the right odds to chase it, and the 'correct' move for them is to fold. If you underbet, you are giving them the right pot odds to chase it and it can back fire on you.

If I believe they are on a flush draw I'll just make a big enough bet to make it incorrect to draw at it. It's 4-1 against hitting on the next card, so if I bet the pot on the flop I'm giving them 2-1 so it's mathematically incorrect for them to draw unless they believe I will pay them off if they hit. So bet enough and manipulate the pot to make it incorrect for them to draw, if they hit it they hit, overbets are unnecessary as a pot sized bet will do the trick, like another poster said make them gamble to draw at their hand. Also keep in mind that if you have two pair or a set, some cards that make their flush will fill you up, so they need even better odds to play.

You have it completely wrong here.

I know why you play like this. I think everyone starts out this way.

When they hit you lose the pot so you think the best thing to do is bet small and lose a small pot.

The thing is that flushes miss more than they hit. So when they hit you lose a small pot, and when they miss, you win a small pot.

Think bigger.

When they hit you lose a small pot but when they miss you win a small pot more times than you lose the small pot.

Now play the same scenario but putting healthy 3/4 - 4/5 pot size bets in.

When you lose you lose a bigger pot but you will win a bigger pot more times than you lose so your profit in the long term increases by building decent sized pots against opponents who chase draws regardless of odds.

I agree, in my post I replied to the original poster stating to make big enough bets to make it wrong to draw. The example I gave was a pot sized bet giving them 2-1 odds on their draw which are insufficient, unless of course they believe they can make more money if they hit their hand and I pay them off.

How is he going to hit his flush "36%" of the time on the turn?



Snow

sure seems like more than that lately like 99% and the other 1% he hits runner runner for a trips LOL

I was wondering the same thing.....