Value Betting
Value Betting in Poker
When you first start playing poker, value betting is
the last thing on your mind and it’s a term that is
often used to befuddle the novice – don’t let it.
Fact is, there is no clear definition of what value
betting in poker is, but a working definition is
where you bet on a marginally winning hand that has
more chance of winning than losing. In other words,
you do not have a high degree of certainty in
winning the hand, but you just might.
Poker value bets are what separate good players from
really great players. Even a novice knows when they
have the winning hand if it is black and white, but
the strategy with value betting in poker is to win
as many chips from your opponents as possible even
with a marginal situation, and knowing when to place
poker value bets is as much an art as a skill.
In
limit games, you need to be aggressive as the bets
are small compared to the pot and you are likely to
have your poker value bets called even with a very
weak hand, so why not. In no-limit games, it gets
harder and more comes into it than just the hand and
percentages as you need to be able to read your
opposition. You also have to take into account your
place in the game at that particular time.
In
these situations, value betting in poker is
something that is intuitive and gained from your
experience especially after playing a lot of hands,
as well as your personal feel for the game, people
and the particular situation you find yourself in.
This is where the art comes in, but it is also based
on your skill and powers of observation. In reality,
no-one can really define what a value betting in
poker really is, it is just a “feeling”.
The
times when you should use value bets in poker tend
to be when you are dominating the table, that is,
after you’ve been winning consistently. Your
opposition will be a little too shy about going up
against your marginal bets if they have been losing
and will be cautious of taking you on. The opposite
is also true, if you have been on a losing streak,
you will not hold the psychological advantage and a
value bet in poker is likely to fail, so check those
marginal hands.
This leads into recognizing when the opposition is
using poker value bets against you. Look for
over-confidence in a winning streak opponent,
especially if when they come to the turn and you see
they have won or lost with a marginal hand yet
raised when they should have checked. Value bets in
poker can make you a lot of profit, but at the same
time if you find yourself subject to such a ploy,
they can cost you just as quickly.
There is also one huge value bet in poker you can
make, and that is to take your opposition all the
way to bet the river and fold without letting them
see your cards. Some players see no point in
betting the river without a good hand coming out or
a weak opposition hand to pay you off, but there is
value anywhere – if you bet a marginal hand on the
river, how much more guessing will your opposition
be doing to try to get a handle on what you are at?
Poker Strategy Articles:
Value Betting in Poker
Table Selection in Poker
