This is when real consideration of the strength of your hole cards in making a poker hand comes into play.  With the flop of the first 3 cards it will become much more apparent whether you’ll realistically be able to make a hand or not and how strong that hand is likely to be. 

This is when the strategy of understanding what cards you need to make a hand and your chances of pulling one of those cards comes into play.  You are also still heavily relying on your ability to read your opponents to determine what hand they could possibly make off the flop and who has the better cards.

Now the second round of betting starts and you can either check, call, raise or fold.  You’ll want to check if no one else has raised and you haven’t yet made a hand, if you think there’s a good possibility of making a hand on the turn but you still don’t know how it compares to others or if you’ve gotten a strong hand and you want to slow play it by check-raising.

Now if someone has raised in front of you checking isn’t going to be a possibility.  Now you have the opportunity of calling, or matching the bet of the player who raised.  Because this is now going to cost you money its best to simply fold if you don’t yet have a hand.  If you do have a hand but again are unsure of how it will hold up to others or if you are slow playing a strong hand to try to get others to feed into the pot simply calling the raise is the best plan of action.

You last option is to raise the bet above and beyond what anyone else has raised.  There are 3 instances in which you’ll want to raise the pot; if you have a strong hand that’s most likely to win the pot, if you have a drawing hand that needs only a single card for a straight or flush and you’re semi-bluffing or if you’re bluffing all together and trying to get opponents to fold.

Unless you’re bluffing this best bet is none at all when you have nothing in your hand and you should fold and wait for the next deal.  Remember the community cards will give you a clue as to what others could possibly have in their hand.  If the flop is conducive for making a straight or a flush be wary that others could have the hole cards to complete them thus knocking down a good hand. 

Also if a pair shows up on the board, another name for the community cards, it’s there for everyone to use so it only really helps you if you have a third card to match or have another pair which you could then make a flush out of it or keep as two pair. 

            The turn is a very telling barometer as to whether you’ve got a hand or not.  With this fourth community card you’ll have either made your hand, improved your hand, or have missed your hand and greatly decreased your odds of getting it.  Again you’re faced with the options of checking, calling, raising or folding.

If you have yet to make a hand you are most likely beat at the turn and your chances of making a hand are too slim to continue on.  If you have any type of hand and every player only checks you’ll want to at least check as well to see the river card that could possibly improve your hand since it won’t cost you anything.   

If you only have overcards, which are high cards that don’t pair up, or if you are on a drawing hand in which you still haven’t gotten anything you should stay in it if everyone else checks because the river card will be free.  However if anyone else raises it’s best to fold, unless on a drawing hand the pot odds are heavily in your favor and you’re sure to win if you get the card you need.

If you only have a pair and someone calls or raises then it’s likely they’ll beat your pair.  However, if everyone else checks there is a possibility you could have the best hand and a raise could give you a good indicator if you are.  Keep in mind this is only possible if you are the last to bet in the round.  If your pair is the top pair you’re still in good standing if there’s not a possibility of a straight or flush in the board cards. 

You have the freedom here to either call or bet if everyone else has checked before you.  If someone raises it’s time to be cautious because they could have a top hand already or have gotten three of a kind or a flush if the turn presented a pair which will beat your hand.  Now is the time reading your opponents is to your advantage.  If they’re a tight player its best to fold because they probably got the trip or flush.  If they’re a loose or aggressive player simply call their raise to get a look at the river and to see if they were bluffing.  Much of the same is true if your hand is two pairs.

If you do have trips, or three of a kind you’re sitting pretty, especially if there’s no possibility of a straight or a flush on the board.  Here you want to slow play it to keep from scaring others away, and if there is a raise then fill free to reraise them because it is very likely your hand is the best.  

However, the exact opposite can be true if the board does present the possibility of a flush or straight.  To get a better understanding of what you’re up against you can raise and see what other players do.  If you’re called you could be being slow played and if you’re raised there is a good chance that they do indeed have the flush or straight and it’s best not to lose any more money.

            At this point all the community cards are out on the table which means there are no more opportunities to catch what you need and all you have to go on is what you can get out of the other players.  Now you should have a good understanding to the strength of your final hand and what you need to focus on is figuring out how it holds up to others. 

If you have a pair, overcards or a drawing hand the only thing for you to do now is check.   Even if everyone else only checks a raise can very well lead to you losing more money when someone calls or reraises.  In a top pair or two pair situation you can either call another person’s bet or raise yourself and see how others react.  If they only call you have a good chance of winning because a strong hand would surely reraise at this point.  If you are raised on your bet there is a very good chance they’ve got you beat.  It’s okay to call only if the pot odds are in your favor.

If you have trips or nuts, the best hand possible with the community cards, then you can choose to slow play it especially if you’re in an earlier position or go ahead and raise if you’re in a later position or have already had someone behind you chasing your raises. 

If your raise is called then you can be fairly confident that you’ve won the hand.  On a raise the nuts have nothing to worry about and can reraise back to make more money but trips should worry if there’s a possibility of a flush or straight and should only call.

           

       Now you have a better understanding of how the community cards of Texas Hold’em affect the decisions you should make when betting.  They play into your considerations as your hole cards and you opponents do and increase the need for strategic, smart playing. 

Back to Community Card Poker main page