Originally published in WPT Magazine:
So now that you have gone beyond the multitude of pre-flop options, it is time to face the next point of action; The Flop. At any point you will have 4 options; you can bet, call, check or fold and these options are presented to you with different dynamics depending on whether or not you are the pre-flop raiser and your position at the table.
Overriding all of this though is the need to do whatever you do smartly. Don’t get into the habit of continuation betting with 100% frequency, don’t always try to check raise a flopped set, don’t always check call the nut flush draw and certainly don’t feel the need to always try and steal the pot on the river when your draws have missed.
If you become predictable like this then opponents will begin to understand your tendencies and learn to play against you profitably post-flop. This is a bad situation to find yourself in, but think about it and flip it around for a minute – are you working hard to understand your opponents game? Many players will fail to understand that they get into the habit of playing certain hands in certain ways – that is why you need to get into the habit of taking notes and using them to exploit you opponents weaknesses.
Again your course of action is often dictated here by the old chestnut that is position. Let us take an example of two hands and see how playing them both in and out of position post-flop on different flop textures makes life easy or difficult for us.
We can start with the hand I used the last time, you are playing Ah Jh Jd 7s, and for ease of instruction lets say that you are playing from A) under the gun and B) on the button. The important thing to consider here is that to know why you are doing something and its likely effectiveness.
The Flop; Qc 9c 6d
Under The Gun
Option - Bet
Outcome - As the preflop raiser the natural tendancy is to want to continuation bet, you have raised preflop from early position and you want to continue to tell the story of strength from your hand.
However, you are about to bet into players and you are about to inflate a pot when you are out of position - we only want to do this when we have a strong hand.
On this occasion, our hand has not flopped very well and the correct course of action is to check. Why? Well this board hits a multitude of ranges with any number of 2 pair, flush draw and wrap type hands possible for your opponent to have.
It seems somewhat weak but the noble thing to do on this occasion is to check and fold to a bet from a late position player should they elect for that course of action. This may seem weak but as I keep harping on about - thats the power of position.
Option - Check
Outcome - You don’t have to win every pot you play, if you do try to win all the pots that you contest then you are on a hiding to nothing as you will hemorrhage money to your opponents. Continuation betting this hand on the flop will only serve to make life difficult for you on later streets.
On The Button
Option - Bet
Outcome - Position is Power - If having raised this hand preflop and if checked to on the flop then despite your hand not flopping very well the decision to continuation bet has less to do with your hand and has more to do with both you and your opponents tendancies.
As a default I would tend to continuation bet in position and when we do so three things can happen - the first two outcomes are easy to deal with as we will be left with simple outcomes he folds and we win or he check raises us and we fold.
The third course of action by him is where the waters start to muddy a little bit - he check calls our flop bet. By doing this he reveals alot about his hand, his range is strongly polarised towards draws - he should protect sets and even some two pair hands by raising and he should also be playing big combo draws (wrap and flush draw) more aggressively.
It is also not the type of board a villain should be check calling one bet with naked AQxx as play on later streets will prove to be extremely difficult.
Option - Check
Outcome - The option to check remains and doing so is good on a number of levels. You may currently have the best hand and you a depriving your opponent the opportunity to bluff raise you off the hand.
It will also serve to lower your flop continuation bet frequency and if checked to on the turn you can put in a delayed continuation bet as it is unreasonable to expect your opponent to check to you twice with a strong hand.
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