Question about the flop

Sb4 · May 27, 2019

I play Texas holdem at our local casino and my question is on the flop 90 percent of time everyone check even when they hit the board. Is this a good strategy or when you hit make a bet. It’s hard to put a read on anyone. I’ve been slammed a few times with guys holding trips or they get there on the turn.

This Fish Chums · May 29, 2019

Sounds like your casino has a lot of tight trappers. Trapping can be very lucrative if you are playing against aggressive players. However, all-to-often I have seen people sit back trying to trap and by the time they make a bet on the river the pot isn't worth playing for. If you want to bring in the premium pots you should throw at least throw out small 1-3BB bets. A 2 BB beet probably isn't going to scare anyone off and isn't going to make anyone think you've landed a monster. But if there are 3 people in the hand and you bet 2BB on the flop and turn by the time you get to the river you're looking at a 15BB pot instead of a 3-6BB pot.

Ultimately you should mix up your play base on your opponents. Trap against aggressive players and bet against passive ones.

RocwX · May 31, 2019

I don't like that kind of game dynamic. I tend to protect my hands by applying pressure, so c-betting in position is one of my most used moves. If you let a lot of people go on to the turn and the river you'll end up losing to random straights and flushes.

I would say it's best if you tighten up a bit your range and, when you decide to play a hand, go strong, bet big preflop and on the flop (if possible, I mean, don't waste money if the flop looks terrible for you).

quick · May 31, 2019

This Fish Chums said:
Ultimately you should mix up your play base on your opponents. Trap against aggressive players and bet against passive ones.

^^This is generally correct at live low stakes poker.

Of course with all things in poker, it depends sometimes. So mix it up even further and read both the player and the situation in the moment such as board texture. Sometimes trapping is great and other times it's a surefire way to find yourself giving away free cards that beat you.