Control The Table With River Betting

This is the climax of the hand and your chance to take the pot. The idea at this stage is to either get the most out of your winning hand or to try to get the other player to fold if you are unsure whether your hand is good enough.

Winning Hand

If you think you definitely have the winning hand there are three real options that work and it is up to your own judgement which one you choose. It can also depend on how many players are left. The idea in all cases is to try and maximise the money in the pot.

#1 Check

If you check the other players may think you have a poor hand so raise allowing you to then call or reraise and win the pot. However, if you check and then the other player checks as well you are not really winning as much as you should. If there are more than two people left in the pot this is an effective option because now at least one player if not both will bet. The idea of this option is to draw the opponent out by making them think you have a weak hand.

#2 Low Raise

This is the least effective of the options. A weak raise can often give the impression that you are trying to draw other players out so they fold. In an ideal situation the other player would reraise. However, the most likely outcome is the other players will call or fold winning you some money but not as much as you could have won.

#3 Big Raise

This is most effective when there are more than 2 players contesting the pot. Big raise is designed to win you big money. While in most cases the other players will fold if you have not been betting much earlier in the hand such as a big raise could mean your bluffing. This is my favourite method because it is decisive and people instinctively want to see what the other players have.

Marginal Hand

This is primarily down to your own judgement as to what you think the other players have. The one thing i would say no to do is to make a weak bet. A good player will sense the weakness and reraise you. So you are left with the option of folding or placing a big bet. For this reason, it is more sensible to either check or make a big bet in the hope that the others players fold or you have the better hand. A big raise is most effective when only two players are competing for the pot.

Losing Hand

If you have the losing hand and you know you have the losing hand i would check if you can or fold and move on. If you are going to bet you will have to bet big but this is a huge risk probably not worth taking.

Overall

River betting is the most important part of any hand. A good river bet is one that is decisive and well thought out. Tentative raises or big raises when you have nothing are not worth doing and in the long run will not win you money!

Be lucky!!

Chris