There's nothing more important in Texas Hold'em than to make the right bet at the right time. That's what the game is all about. Maybe you have the best hand, maybe you want to trap someone into raising you, maybe you have nothing. If you can't make the right betting decision, it doesn't matter. If you pick up two aces, and everyone at the table folds as a result of a bad bet on your behalf, then your two aces didn't count for anything and were wasted. This article will provide you with guidelines on how you should bet when faced with certain situations.

What Should You Bet?

Normally, you determine the amount of your bet based on a ration between either the current value of the blinds, or the current pot size. Betting position will also influence your strategy. Normally, the first round of betting is based on the blinds, while the remaining betting rounds are based on pot size.

If you have nothing in your hands, and you are in a bad betting position, meaning you are one of the first players to place a bet before the majority of the remaining players, then you have a two decision to make: First, do you want to play this hand or not. Second, if I play do I want to bluff. Personally, I don't like to bluff in this situation because the risks are greater, and the rewards isn't that exciting.

In any Poker Games, Consider What You can Win and What You Can Loose

If you're trying to buy the blinds, then it will require an investment on your part. If that investment exceeds th epotential winnings, it may not be worthwhile. If you win, you'll make a little profit, but if you loose, you loose more than you would have gained. For example, if the blinds are 50/100 and you are the first to bet, then you need to bet at least three times the size of the big blind, so at least 300. You have nothing so you are hoping others will fold. There's only 150 on the table, and you add 300 more. It's not a very good deal for you, even if you win, you had to risk loosing twice the amount of your potential gains. Never bet like that with a weak hand. Sure, it does pay off once in a while, but in the long run, it will cost you more than it will earn you. When faced with this situation, I recommend you either fold, or call. If you call, it's because you're hoping everyone else will and you'll get to see a flop without spending much. When the flop comes, your bad hand might turn out pretty good if you are lucky. However, if someone raises, then you better back off before you invest too much on bad cards.

If you have something good in your hands, and you are in a bad betting position then you have some interesting options. First, how good is your hand? Are we talking two high pairs, or are we talking Ace Queen, high suited connectors? All are great starting hands, but theymay not end up being worth anything by the time the river comes. So how do you play them? Well, if I don't have a high pair but I do have two high cards, I like to get a pot going so that if I do get a nice flop, I can build on it. With A Q, I would raise 2 times the amount of the big blind. This does two things: It doesn't scare everyone off so the pot grows as everyone else calls, and it doesn't cost me much to see a flop, assuming non one else raises. This is a conservative play. If someone does re-raise, then it's time to decide how aggressive you want to be.

Let me give you an example: 6 players with the blinds at 10/20. I pick up A-Q and I am the first to act. I open by raising to a total of 40. Then next three players call, making the pot total at 190 (4 bets of 40, SB at 10, BB at 20). Now, we at the SB position and that person bets 190 (the size of the pot). That last bet can only mean one of two things: the player is trying to buy the pot or the player has a strong poker hand. Let's say the BB folds and it is back to you. The pot is now worth 380 and it will cost you 150 more to call and stay in. You have good cards. You have to put in 150 to win 340 (current pot size minus your initial 40). This is a good ratio so you would at least call for sure. There is a risk here. Maybe the flop will be good for you, but it may also turn out to be good for your opponent. You have to ask yourself a question. Do I want to take down this pot right now by reraising, or will I stick to a conservative play and just call. That decision depends on a few factors. If you raise, does the opponent have enough chips to re-raise and put you all in? If so, are you willing to go all in with A Q if it comes to that? Remember that any pair beats you at this stage. If you don't catch cards on the flop, turn, or river, then you're in trouble. So the real question is "Can I make the opponent fold, and if not, am I ready to go all in with this hand". Do you think your opponent has anything, or did they make a move in an attempt to buy the pot? Your ability to make a good read will influence how aggressive you'll be. If you decide to call, then that's fine. You're playing it safe. It may turn out good for you, and if it doesn't, then you'll have a chance to back down later without too much damage being down. If you raise, then raise by at least half the pot or more. That would be the absolute minimum raise, and it may not even be enough to make the other player back down unless they really have nothing.

If you raise by the pot size, that could be enough to make someone with a potential hand back down. For example, if someone has Q J, and you raise by a total of 380, it's really starting to get expensive for them to chase cards. Suddenly, their hand doesn't look that good anymore. Personally, I would raise by the size of the pot in this situation in hopes of taking it right away, assuming I can afford the loss. If the other player was the small stack and didn't have that many chips, they are probably in "aggressive mode" and putting them "all in" wouldn't be a bad idea.

Now let's reverse the situations. You are now in a good betting spot (SB or BB) and you have a poor hand. Everyone before you called, or there was one minimum raise. When it comes to your turn, you can fold or call if it's not too expensive and hope that you'll get lucky on the flop. The other option is too bluff. This is a much better position to make the attempt because you have had a chance to observe everyone else at the table and your reading abilities will tell you if this is the hand to make a move. If you try to buy the pot, you must bet at least 3 times the amount of the current bet. If the blinds were 50-100 and everyone called 100, then raise to 300 or more. Again, with 6 players at the table, the pot is 600 by the time you get to bet, so betting 300 to win 600 is a good ratio. Betting more also means putting more of your money at risk.

Personally, I would go with the 300 raise at this point, knowing that the charade may continue during the next betting round. So if you get called, and the flop doesn't help you out, you're putting yourself in a difficult position. On the next betting round, if you slow down and check, then you're showing a weakness and you will get raised. When that happens, you can fold, or really gamble and reraise. This is called a check-raise and it is often used by players who try to trap their opponents. In this case, it gives the illusion that you have a really strong hand. It works well if the other player has a weak hand, but if they have a strong hand, they won't go way and you'll loose a lot of chips.

This is where you are risking a lot to gain a lot. Your ability to read your opponent, and to fool them, will determine how far you can go. Consider who you are battling with. Has that person been conservative during the whole game or do they play aggressively? Again, consider the size of their stack and of your own stack. Who can put the other all-in if it comes down to that? And you do go all in and loose the hand, do you have enough chips left for a come back or will the blinds eat you up in no time? In other words, can you afford to double up someone else? These are questions you must ask yourself before making a bet.

Let's now look at a scenario where you are in good betting position and you have a great poker hand. For fun, let's say you are the BB and you picked up two Kings. Everyone called and it is now up to you. At this point in the game, you know you have an awesome hand. Odds are that you have the best hand but that may change after the community cards are laid down. So how do you play? Well, there are a few things to consider. First, consider going all in. That can scare people away. If everyone folds, then you've wasted your good hand and you'll pick up just a few chips. However, if you are the small stack and you are in bad shape, going all in can seem like an act of desperation and players in your position normally play very aggressively so in this case, it may be a good strategy. If you're the big stack, then don't bother going all in. The other option you want to consider is trapping which means playing as if you have nothing and later raising. There is a risk to this strategy because in doing so, you are allowing other players to access cards from the flop. If someone has A-10 in their hand and they pick up an ace on the flop, they'll have you beat. On the other hand, if the trapping works, it can mean huge rewards for you. In this scenario, I think that since everyone has an interest in the pot, a small raise can make the pot grow and thin the competition at the same time. Raise by 2.5 times the amount of the minimum bet. Some will likely fold, but others will stay in.

Be aware that experienced players normally view a small raise by the BB as a red flag. You're telling them you have something. The logic is that if you wanted to make a move and buy the pot, you would have raised more. The only purpose of a small raise is to entice other players to stay in while making the pot grow, what people refer to as a call me bet. It's not a bad play. Personally, I like to trap and risk giving cards to other players for free, but that's just my style. Sometimes, I will bet by a lot (4 or 5 times the minimum bet), making it seem like I want to buy the pot. Betting will make other players fold but if you can get at least one or two to stay in, then you are in great shaped for wining a large pot. This is especially effective when you are the big stack because it looks like you are trying to push people around. Someone may just think they have you figured out as the table bully and they themselves will go all in. This is exactly what you want! The decision of betting or trapping will partly be influenced by how many chips you have in relation to other players, and how many players are in the hand.

Experiment with the various betting options. Sign up with one of our sponsered poker rooms and try out various poker strategies. Practice! Practice! Practice! Eventually, you'll develop your own playing style and figure out what works best for you. Good luck!