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Value Betting in No Limit Texas Holdem
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Wednesday, February 13, 2008
By Staff
PartTime Poker
No limit Texas Holdem has been called the Cadillac of poker games. Indeed, of all forms of poker, no limit Texas holdem is one that provides some of the most creative opportunities for winning play. As with all poker games, the major Texas Holdem strategy issues come in the betting that takes place during the game. One aspect of betting that can often be overlooked by players learning no limit Texas holdem is the value bet.
What is a Value Bet?
A value bet is a bet that you make when you believe you have the best hand and would like to be called. Although occasionally players like to overbet with a strong hand in order that their play be perceived as a bluff, there are many cases where the best way to extract chips is to make a bet small enough that the opponent feels compelled to call, due to the size of the pot relative to the amount of the bet and the likelihood that the bet is a bluff or representing a weaker hand.
Value Betting in No Limit Holdem vs. Limit Holdem
In many types of poker betting, the no limit Texas Holdem player has an advantage in that they have complete control over the size of the bet. Value betting is an exception. Value bets in limit holdem are very hard for opponents not to pay off. The size of the bet is fixed, so it could represent anything, and opponents are almost always getting the correct odds to call on the off chance you may be bluffing. In no limit holdem, part of your skill will be deciding how much you can get away with betting for value. If you bet too much, you may lose your opponent, which will cost you money. Similarly, if you don't bet enough, you are costing yourself chips that you should have won, which is just as bad as losing chips that you should not lose.
When Should You Value Bet?
You should value bet in situations where you are likely to have the best hand and you are unlikely to get action from opponents in any other way. Value betting is an advanced strategy that is most often done on the river, when you have all the information you can about the likelihood that your hand is the best. Before the river, there are other considerations such as how to bet against drawing hands or how likely your hand is to remain best by the river which may make value betting less of a priority.
Example
In a $2/$3 blinds no limit Texas Hold em game, you have 8s 9h in the big blind. A middle position player raises to $15 and you call. The flop comes As 9d 2c. You check and your opponent bets $20. You decide to call and the turn is the 4c. You check and your opponent checks. The river is the 9s. This is usually a good time to value bet. While it will be tempting to check and try to trap your opponent, you must consider the situation:
Opponent Missed the Flop
If your opponent missed the flop entirely and was trying to represent an ace on the flop, he will probably not attempt another bluff on the river since he stopped betting on the turn, although of course this will depend on the individual opponent. In this case, he will probably check if you check, but may read a bet here as a bluff after he showed weakness on the turn, and if the bet is small enough, may pay you off with any pair.
Opponent Has an Ace
You have showed resistance with your calls throughout the hand. If you check the river, he will probably check behind you and be content to win the hand if you do not have a stronger ace or a nine, rather than bet and risk your raising and putting him to the test. If you bet however, his hand is too strong to release without a fight, especially since he showed weakness by checking the turn. Here he will have to pay off any reasonable bet. The trick here is to find the right bet size. If you move all in, he may make a crying fold. If you bet less than half the pot, your opponent is now getting better than 3 to 1 on his call. This means if he thinks you will bet in this situation with a weaker ace, a bluff, an underpair 25 percent of the time or one time out of four, it is correct for him to call. This call will usually be too tempting to pass up.
Opponent Has a Nine
If your opponent has a nine with a better kicker, this is obviously a disastrous situation for you no matter what happens. However, if you check and your opponent moves all-in, you will often feel compelled to call, since after you show weakness your opponent may do this with any number of hands. If you value bet and your opponent moves all-in, you may still feel compelled to call due to the pot odds. However, depending on how large your opponent's raise is, it may be possible for you to get away from the hand since you have showed great strength and have been raised. In most cases you will still be busted, since you have to consider the possibility that your opponent put you on an ace and is bluffing all-in to represent a nine he does not hold. If you already have a good read on this opponent, this additional information may save you.
Value betting is an important skill to possess when you play Texas holdem, as it can contribute greatly to your overall win rate. Remember to consider a value bet when you feel strongly that you have the best hand but the board is threatening enough that it will be difficult to trap an opponent who holds a marginal hand.
