08-10-04, LearnTexasHoldem:

How Much To Bet In NL

Question: Dear sir:

I read an article in Card Player Mag. several months ago about, what percentage of your stack to bet in different situations and different stages of it. I have heard players say" that was to large of a bet drawing at a flush/top pair ect" Could go over that?

V/R Tom B

Top 3 Beginner Rooms

Answer: How much you bet in NL depends on what your goals are. If you have top pair or a regular hand like that then typical bets would be half the size of the pot to the size of the pot -- notice how this goes up each betting round. That would be the straight forward way to play. You have to also take into account deception, the number of people in the pot and other aspects.

The more you want to protect your hand, the more you usually bet. Another way to look at it is how much can you make from a player? Let's say you flop the nuts (the best possible hand). You may not want to bet him out so maybe you'll just make regular bets. Against another player you may over bet the pot so they think you are trying to steal it. Against another player you may make weak bets until they make a move on you. It just depends.

Always betting the same amount regardless of what you have has some advantages but I think it is too rigid since it doesn't take into account a lot of important factors: number of players, who those players are, the texture of the flop, your table image, what they think you have, what you think they have, etc. So in closing, a bet that is around the size of the pot is a solid, good size bet. Half the size of the pot is decent but definitely not big. Anything less then that and I consider it a small bet.

For example, if the pot is $1000 and you bet only $300, I only have to put in $300 for a chance to win $1300. That's tiny and begging to be called.

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