how to tell when your betting into their pair or their draw?

Ok, after reviewing my game a little, this is a huge problem for me. i have a real hard time telling the difference between when i can push someone off of their draw, to when they have top pair and are just letting me bet into them. i have seen no difference between the two. i win a lot by pushing them off, but then i lose it to when they actually have something. any tips?

What level are you playing at? At micro levels (which I play at) it can be almost impossible to push people off their draws.

And it would depend on your table image. If they think you're over aggressive post flop, they'd tend to let you bet into them.

I understand that you may win certain pots, even certain big pots by bluffing and pushing other people off their draws/mid or low pairs, but this isn't the best successful poker strategy.

In most cases than not, you will get caught eventually. If you bluff 5 times to push someone away from a hand, and win small to decent sized pot about 3 or even 4 of those times, but end up getting caught once or twice, the odds are you're not going to have your chips very long.

There is no need to constantly, frequently make it a pattern to try and push other people off their hands when you have nothing, just to steal the pots. The risk isn't worth it in the long run.

There will be certain situations that present themselves, when you absolutely have a good read, or know that youre playing against an ultra conservative player near the bubble, when it would be ideal to push other people out of hands to steal the pots. But other than these sitautions, there's no need to make bluffing/pushing other's with better hands/draws out of the pot when you have nothing a routine or important part of your game.

im playing at the one dollar blinds nl holdem table ninelions.



yea estelle, what your saying makes a lot of sense. i should probably cut back a little on trying to push them off....but its not just one of those all in bluffs, it usually doesnt take too much of my stack to get them off their draw, but its just sometimes they have something good and just let me keep betting into them...i guess theres no real way to tell the difference, and should just wait till i have a really good read vs not being too sure. thanks