RAISE THAT NUT

I would like to post about a "strategy" some players use. When someone has a nut hand, and know they have it, they check on the river, therefore not gaining any more chips. When I ask someone who has employed this strategy why they did that, they say, "I didn't want everyone to fold." Well, even if everyone did fold after your raise, you wouldn't lose any money. You wouldn't gain any money either (if everyone folded), but there's always that chance someone will call your raise, WINNING YOU MORE CHIPS. Basically, I'm saying RAISE with the nut hand. Who cares if everyone fold? Raising is a win/win situation!

Yes, you're absolutely right. Checking on the flop or the turn when you have the absolute nuts isn't a bad move--you have the chance to cold-call (to possibly set a trap later) or re-raise any bettors. But checking on the river in the hopes of a re-raise or for the reason stated above is just foolish. Your goal should be to get the optimum amount of chips for your hand.

The challenge is to make the right sized bet that will get callers rather than folders. And this comes from good play on the flop and turn, setting a trap to lure your opponents into thinking that you don't have that nut hand and are just trying to take down the pot.

But beware--getting too cutesy in your play can also lead to your demise...make sure you do have the absolute nuts before you try getting too fancy.

Geez juicee, after seeing the title to this thread and your name replying to it, I thought it was about your kids!

No, no, darling. You've got it all wrong. You see, my children have turned me into the nut!

*Feels an irresistable urge to post this*

POKERSTARS GAME #2804148799: TOURNAMENT #13705976, HOLD'EM NO LIMIT - LEVEL VII (100/200) - 2005/10/14 - 19:16:13 (ET)
Table '13705976 1' Seat #9 is the button
Seat 1: Nick0r (5968 in chips)
Seat 3: robwhufc (11922 in chips)
Seat 4: nateofdeath (3020 in chips)
Seat 7: oahi5 (9089 in chips)
Seat 8: Qhr1s (8724 in chips)
Seat 9: buckster436 (3277 in chips)
Nick0r: posts the ante 25
robwhufc: posts the ante 25
nateofdeath: posts the ante 25
oahi5: posts the ante 25
Qhr1s: posts the ante 25
buckster436: posts the ante 25
Nick0r: posts small blind 100
robwhufc: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Qhr1s [Tc 9s]
nateofdeath: folds
oahi5: calls 200
Qhr1s: folds
buckster436: folds
Nick0r: folds
robwhufc: checks
*** FLOP *** [5h 8c 9d]
robwhufc: checks
oahi5: bets 400
robwhufc: calls 400
*** TURN *** [5h 8c 9d] 3♥
robwhufc: checks
oahi5: bets 400
robwhufc: calls 400
*** RIVER *** [5h 8c 9d 3h] 3♣
robwhufc: checks
oahi5: checks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
robwhufc: shows [3s 3d] (four of a kind, Threes)
oahi5: shows [9c Ah] (two pair, Nines and Threes)
robwhufc collected 2250 from pot
Nick0r said, "LOL"
oahi5 said, "nh"
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2250 | Rake 0
Board [5h 8c 9d 3h 3c]
Seat 1: Nick0r (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 3: robwhufc (big blind) showed [3s 3d] and won (2250) with four of a kind, Threes
Seat 4: nateofdeath folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: oahi5 showed [9c Ah] and lost with two pair, Nines and Threes
Seat 8: Qhr1s folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: buckster436 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)

bet into the bettor on the turn!

I know early on I would use that theory thinking another would bet and then I could check-raise to get more $$. But this only worked when another player was either just a bet hardy fool or when they just misread and never to do a whole lot better on pot totals. I've have since stopped and bet all the way through, this works better anyway as long as you haven't shown any other bad betting tells.=-)

Alot depends on the other cards. If you put your opponent on a high card hand, and high cars show, the better odds they will bet, giving you the oppotunity to pounce. Of course there's always the chance letting the hand play out will give them bigger nuts. I guess that's why it's called gambling.