Getting the Most Value out of Good Poker Hands
It is always nice to win a poker hand regardless of the stakes or your opponents. But a lot of online poker success is dictated by how much value you can get out of your great hands. It is also crucial that you are aware of some different factors when trying to get the most out of your poker hands.
Consider Preflop Raise Sizes
It is crucial to throw opponents off and avoid being predictable when trying to get the best value out of strong hands. The best way to accomplish this is by keeping uniform preflop raise sizes. Some players like to limp in with their strong hands, so others do not know the strength of their hand. This is almost never the best move though, while your opponents will not put you on for example aces or kings, you also have no idea what they will have. You have a chance of a lot of people in the hand which makes the hand much harder to play post flop. Besides you are keeping the pot smaller compared to a raise, while you want the pot big at this time in the hand. Limping in with a big hand can work if behind you there is a player or multiple players who basically raise every hand, if this is not the case just raise yourself!
Be aware of your table image
One of the first factors you need to keep in mind when trying to get value out of good hands is how the table regards you. If you have been extremely loose-aggressive, then all of a sudden you slow-play, chances are your opponents will know that something’s up.
The same can be said if you’re tight-passive and raising a lot while you’re holding the nuts. You need to understand how your table opponents see you and bet accordingly.
Slow-playing your good poker hands vs being aggressive with strong hands
When you get a good poker hand what is the best way to go? Take it easy or be aggressive? First, let’s look at the main goal, you want to get as much money as possible from your hand. The next question would be, how do you do this?
There is no clear answer to this as it will always depend on the situation. One of the most things in poker is keeping an eye on your opponents, know how they play. To extract the most value out of strong hands this is super important. Are you playing against calling stations? Then be aggressive! Are you playing against people who like to bluff? The wise move might be to let them put the money in the pot. Know your table and know the board, are there many possible draws that could beat your top set? Let them pay for that last card.
Do you really have the best hand?
Sometimes you will think that you are extracting value out of a good hand but it turns out that you don’t really have the best hand. This is extremely common with two pairs, sets and a nut flush. In these situations, it would be best to study other players beforehand so you can make a smart laydown. Knowing when to fold is after all just as important as getting value out of great hands.