bullishwwd
Legend
Loyaler
Should I bet? There are surely situations that call for aggression. It’s not too far a reach to say that "aggression is a key to winning no limit play". But, aggression in the form of betting needs to be intentional, not automatic.
Most of us certainly know this. Yet sometimes, otherwise good players bet automatically – because they feel that they are expected to do so.
SITUATION: Imagine you have a pair of threes in middle position. You call in a very loose and passive game. You’re in luck and no one raises. Five players see the flop. It ’s a bunch of low cards. The three players in front of you check. You don’t have anything. Even so, you have a reputation as an aggressive player. You don’t want to look weak. You think that you must bet here in order to keep control of the table. And so you do. The button – a pretty loose player, calls you. The turn is an Ace. Again, you think that you must bet so your opponent doesn’t think you’re weak and try to run you off the hand. You bet again. Your loose opponent calls again. And, on the river, hitting nothing, you figure you need to show strength in order to win and so you go all in – only to get called by an opponent with a weak Ace.
The problem wasn’t necessarily in what you did but "why" you did it. You didn’t have to bet! You probably should have checked and folded to a bet – or seen a free card if your loose passive opponent checked behind you. But the thought that you needed to bet to show strength sabotaged your better judgment.
Has this situation happened to you? I know that I have fallen prey to this common mistake and usually regreted it big time.
Share your thoughts.
Wally
Most of us certainly know this. Yet sometimes, otherwise good players bet automatically – because they feel that they are expected to do so.
SITUATION: Imagine you have a pair of threes in middle position. You call in a very loose and passive game. You’re in luck and no one raises. Five players see the flop. It ’s a bunch of low cards. The three players in front of you check. You don’t have anything. Even so, you have a reputation as an aggressive player. You don’t want to look weak. You think that you must bet here in order to keep control of the table. And so you do. The button – a pretty loose player, calls you. The turn is an Ace. Again, you think that you must bet so your opponent doesn’t think you’re weak and try to run you off the hand. You bet again. Your loose opponent calls again. And, on the river, hitting nothing, you figure you need to show strength in order to win and so you go all in – only to get called by an opponent with a weak Ace.
The problem wasn’t necessarily in what you did but "why" you did it. You didn’t have to bet! You probably should have checked and folded to a bet – or seen a free card if your loose passive opponent checked behind you. But the thought that you needed to bet to show strength sabotaged your better judgment.
Has this situation happened to you? I know that I have fallen prey to this common mistake and usually regreted it big time.
Share your thoughts.
Wally