One key to becoming a winning limit hold’ em player is the ability to maximize the value of your winning hands while minimizing the losses of your second-best hands, and one great way to accomplish this is to be able to induce bets on the river by second best hands. Here’s an example of a hand that I was in during a 6-12 limit hold’ em game that really shows the point that I am trying to make.
I am in the big blind with the Jh-10c, there are two limpers, one a fairly weak, yet somewhat experience player in middle position, and the other a rather experienced aggressive player who is one off the button, and myself. We take a flop of Kh-Qd-4h, now normally I would semi-bluff my open-ended straight draw in this situation, but instead I simply check due to the fact that I usually do not like to semi-bluff smaller pots especially in bad position. Add to that the probability that the flop had to of hit one of the other two players with the Kh-Qd on board I do not want to bet and then face a raise behind me. The first limper also checks and the aggressive player bets. I then call the bet and the first limper calls as well.
The turn brings the Qh which although brings me the second nut flush draw as well as the straight draw brings the possibility that even if I make one of my two hands, they could be dead to a full-house, and I once again check with the intention of folding to a bet, however the two other players in the hand check behind me and give me a free look at the river..Read More