Texas Holdem Poker: Post Flop Strategy

If you have been playing Texas Holdem Poker as a novice, you must already know that Aces and face cards paired with one another range from being good to excellent starting hands. If you are dealt a great pair, you may bet with confidence regardless of your table position. But what many beginners fail to realize is that any Poker hand is capable of losing, just as the same hand is capable of winning. Even American Airlines (Ace Pair) can crash.

The truth is, the starting values of Texas Holdem hole cards are good only for the Preflop. After the flop is revealed, you had better forget them. Before the Flop, your starting hand may look great, say two Kings. But once the Flop is dealt, that can change. Your KK may now be an excellent Three of a Kind or even a Full House, or maybe there are no matches to it and all you got is a One Pair. Worse if a Straight or Flush is suggested by the Flop. If there's either one on the table, it can't be yours. Then you realize that you bit off more than you could chew and you wish you'd never called (or raised!) the bet at all.

So once again like in the Preflop stage, you need to decide whether to fold or not. You may be tempted to stay in the game since you already made a bet at the Preflop. But it's better to lose a penny than a pound, so to speak. The bets will only increase as the game progresses and if you're going to be there at the River, it better be worth it since the wagers will be doubled by then. Further, in low-limit Texas Holdem games, there are usually several players in each game. This makes bluffing not such a good option since your opponents are more likely to stay all the way to the river no matter what hands they've got.

If two other players engage in a war of raises, you had better fold. It could be that they are both bluffing, but more likely at least one of them actually has a worthy hand. The board should indicate if someone may have a Flush, a Three of a Kind. Of course, you could be the one of the players exchanging raises. Then you better hope they really are bluffing.

Moreover, it should also be noted that the same thing that can make an Ace Pair crash is the same thing that can suddenly make a lowly 6 and 3 seem holy. It can happen that you fold at the Preflop because all you had was a 9 and 4. After the Flop, Turn and River it turns out you could have had a Full House when the best the last standing player had was a Three of a Kind. Oh, well. So on occasion, after winning a big pot, try putting some money on a poor hand. Besides, it's not good to play tight al the time.