Hey guys! Welcome to another edition of "How Would You Hold'em?"

As usual, click on the link below to see a video recap of the hand, complete with my audio narration.

Today, we're going to deal with a situation I see all of the time online. You've probably seen this happen at tables of any stakes range on Full Tilt or Pokerstars. I would consider this an Intermediate post.

In this hand, we're dealt AK suited on the button, which puts us in awfully strong position. We've got to raise. The person on the big blind calls right behind us:

We miss the flop pretty badly, but because we were the aggressors before the flop, we have to make a continuation bet or appear weak. Plus, he called a raise before the flop, so it's entirely possible that he has high cards too, maybe AQ. We make a decent-sized bet...

And are suddenly slammed by a large raise. You have a decision to make.

I'm addressing this because too many people simply "call" here and wait to see if they get lucky on the next street. This is foolish. If you don't get lucky, chances are that your opponent will make a bet that will force you to fold.

Therefore, what you need to do is decide RIGHT NOW if you have the best hand or not. If you decide you don't, FOLD. If you decide you do, GO ALL IN.

Personally, I'm folding this most of the time. He could have caught a middle pocket pair or something like 10/9 suited and put us on high cards and is pushing us out. Let him do it, or you may find yourself broke by the end of the hand because you couldn't let go of an AK.

AK is a good hand, but in most cases, it's a hand that MUST HIT THE FLOP in order to be a winner.

Alright, guys! If you have any suggestions as to what kind of hands YOU want to see up here, let us know!

Hey guys, welcome to today's edition of "How Would You Hold'em?" As usual, click on the image below to see a video replay, complete with audio narration.

Today's hand deals with a situation that I see pretty often on sites such as Full Tilt Poker, Pokerstars, and Ultimatebet. It's a shady, obvious move known as the "minimum raise" or Minraise for short. I would call this a Beginner lesson. Let's say we're playing $1/$2 No Limit Texas Hold'em on the Internet and we get a decent hand in middle position:

I'm going to raise here simply because it's a stronger move, and I feel like I would have more chance to win if I raised rather than called. I'll go around 3 times the big blind. I get one caller, and the flop comes as such:

Now, it looks like we're sitting pretty here, so I'll lead out with a continuation bet of $4.00 and see what happens. My opponent immediately raises the minimum amount, or to $8.00.

This is usually an indicator of great strength. My opponent wants to increase the size of the pot, but he doesn't want to scare me off. Her figures that I'll think "Well, if he bet four then he'll definitely call eight." That would not be the wise move. He probably flopped a set or two pair, and the pot size will get large by the time the last card falls. I think it's a good idea to let your hand go when you are minraised, as it usually turns out to be expensive when all is said and done.

Alright guys! Remember to chime in with suggestions about hands and situations that you want advice on. See you next time!

Hey guys! Welcome to How Would You Hold'em, one of the Internet's leading Omaha, No Limit Texas hold'em, and PLO blogs. Click on the link below to view a video of today's hand, complete with my personal audio narration.

Today's hand deals with what to do if we sneak into a hand and flop top pair while facing some questionable bets. I see this situation all the time when playing on Full Tilt and Pokerstars. We're playing 1/2 No Limit Texas Hold'em, and this hand is an Intermediate hand. We'll be in the big blind for this hand, with a mediocre starting hand, J-8 off-suit:

Naturally, we're going to fold if anybody raises, but no one does, so we see some free cards. We hit top pair right away, but we're going to check,as we have two players behind us that had the confidence to call and may have us kicked. The second player (the one in position) bets. This is a suspicious bet. Many people try to steal the pot in this position, and we have top pair, so we're going to call and see if he hits the brakes:

The next card comes a blank, and we're going to check again. He follows with a check. This usually tells me that this player was trying to buy the pot on the flop, and I'm pretty sure I have the best hand:

The river comes. Essentially another blank. I'm going to check one more time because many people in this position take another stab at the pot. He does.

So: How Would You Holdem? Because I'm calling.

Boom! Caught him. He's using a pretty sloppy betting pattern, checking on the turn and then trying it again on the river. That check on the turn tells me that he was scared by my call on the flop, which makes me think that he was trying to buy the pot.

I'll see you guys next time!

Two Pair on the Big Blind with a Weak Kicker

Hey guys! Welcome back to How Would You Hold 'em?
To view today's video (complete with my audio narration) then click on the link below. Click on the bottom right-hand corner to expand to full screen.



Today's edition deals with what to do when you land two pair out of position (with one pair being on the board) and are facing an opponent who confidently three-bets you. Let's take a look:

We're dealt a pretty awful starting hand, Kh 2d, in the big blind. The only way we're calling this is if nobody raises, which they don't. So, we're on our way to the flop.


This is a potential disaster. We've made top two pair, but our kicker looks awful. We check to see what happens, and the player in Seat 6 makes a nominal bet, $1.50. We're going to call to see if he slows down, given the strength of our hand. Let's look at the turn:

It's a blank, and I'm checking again to see what he does. He elevates his bet a little bit and makes it $2.50. Again, I'm going to call and see if he gets discouraged by the river.



It's another blank, and I'm checking again. This time, he comes out with $3.50. The fact that he's confidently continued to escalate his bets, regardless of our calls, seems to indicate that he wants a call here. I don't put him on the six, as I figure he would have checked the flop and played it slow. He must have a higher king, which is bad news for us.

How Would You Hold 'em?

By not holding them at all. His betting suggests that he wants to be called, and if he wants to be called, then don't call him.


Sure enough, he's got a nice little high king. You've just saved $3.50.

Alright guys, see you next time.

Calling a Bluff In Position after Opponent misses a draw.

Hey guys, welcome back to "How Would You Hold 'em?"!
Click on the link below to view the video for this hand, complete with audio narration. Click the full screen button in the lower right-hand corner if you want to expand it.



Today's edition deals with a pretty common situation: how do you spot someone who's trying to buy the pot after they miss their draw on the river? Fortunately, for most of the players online, this isn't too hard. Lets take a look at the hand.


As you can see, we've got a decent starting hand, Ad Th, in middle position, facing no raises in early position, so I'm going to go ahead and shoot out a moderate raise, say $1.75. I get three other callers.


Now I've flopped top pair, so naturally I'll need to follow up my pre-flop bet with a post-flop raise, especially with the flush draw showing. I get two folds and one check-call from the guy in early position. That should immediately set up some flags in your head: he may have a flush or straight draw, or he might be slow-playing a monster. I'm going to bail out of this hand if another spade comes. Let's see the turn:


It's a blank for drawing hands, which means I'm going to turn up the pressure even more and bet $3.50 to try to get him out of this hand. He still calls.





It's another blank, but this time he's opened and bet $5.50. I'm not buying it. This is a pretty textbook example of trying to buy the pot after he missed his draw. His constant calling either indicates a slow-play or a draw, and I'm feeling the draw based on the nature of his river bet. I'm gonna call.

How Would You Hold 'em?
I'm gonna call this every time. I put him on a draw, and I'm going to stick with that read.


Let's take a look:


Sure enough, he was trying to purchase that pot with his failed spade draw.

See you next time!