Playing the Flop in Texas Holdem

I've written before about how a common sense approach to Texas holdem is a good strategy, and I'll repeat that here as a I give advice about how to play your hand on the flop in a Texas holdem game. If your hand improves on the flop, then you should bet and raise. If it doesn't, then you should consider folding. Most bad players bluff too often. Don't make that mistake.

What's a flop that improves a hand? Suppose you have a pair of eights preflop. If another eight hits the flop, then you have a three of a kind, which is an improvement. You've heard the expression "fit or fold?" That's an example of a flop that fits.

What's a flop that misses your hand? Suppose you have pocket aces. Then suppose that the flop comes 789 suited, and your opponent raises. There's a good chance that your opponent hit something here. Think about the potential hands she might have. If she had pocket 7's, 8's, or 9's, she has three of a kind, and you're probably going to lose. If she had a JT, then she's hit a straight. You're probably going to lose. If she has AK of that suit, she's got a flush, and you're probably going to lose.

A little common sense on the flop can save you a lot of wasted bets. Sometimes your opponents will bluff you out of a pot when you throw a hand away on the flop, but that's okay. Let someone else be the poker police. You're not there to play sheriff and keep that other player honest.

I've seen Texas holdem strategy advice that said you should be playing about 15% of your hands preflop and about 50% of those hands post flop. That means you're going to be folding A LOT. For a game that rewards aggression as much as it does, Texas hold'em rewards hand selection awfully well.