River Bets
November 13th, 2009In Texas Hold ‘Em poker, the most difficult decision sometimes comes with the poker online river card. Some poker online pundits swear that you should never bet the river card, unless your know you are holding the absolute nuts, because if you are called, you are beat. If you have remained in contention all the way to the river with a good hand, like two pair or trips, or on a draw, then there is always the possibility your hand won’t win. You could be up against a bigger made or drawing hand. For instance, if you are drawing to an open-ended straight with 8 outs, and there are two of a suit on board, then your opponent could be drawing to the flush, which incidentally counterfeits two of your outs to the straight. The river card itself often dictates the action. For instance, if you miss your draw, there is no sense in making the bet, because if it’s called, you probably are beat. The same goes if you’re holding a set or a straight and the board has flushed up. Before you even bet or call on the turn, make sure the river card you are drawing too will actually win the pot if it materializes. If there is a possibility that a third suited card will smash your straight on the river, then attempt to get a free look at the river with a check ahead of your opponent, who may be on a draw too.
