You do not belong in the pot unless you are in position if your hand is not this strong. You will save a lot of money by observing this simple standard. To understand whether you should get involved or not, let us look at a few simple situations.
Let us Assume that the poker game is A $5-$10-$25 blind pot-limit or no-limit game.
Under the gun, you hold a♠-J♠. The poker player on your immediate left makes it $100 as soon as you call the quarter. What do you do in such a situation where everyone else folds?
Answer :- Fold. By raising a poker player who called in early position, your rival poker player has shown a good hand. He has position on you and his hand is superior to yours. If you are thinking that this is a good place to call is using poor reasoning for a big-bet game.
Generally, faulty saying like “You only get a certain number of good hands, so you’ve got to play them” could get you involved. Thus, putting hands on A rigid scale of values. Defining a good hand simply as one that figures to be the best on that deal is the correct way of thinking for any form of poker.
To flunk this test, the betting has clearly shown your a♠-J♠. “The pot odds favor a call” is Another lie which could cause trouble here. By chasing “pot odds”, those poker players who are primarily limit poker players get involved on far too many hands.
To look at implied odds, considering what is there to be won or lost over and the above amount in the pot is the key to big-bet poker play. From our previous discussion, we already know how a poker player constantly thinks About his whole stack when there is A bet or raise.
In deciding whether to call A raise before the flop, you should also think about it. “If i call, who is more likely to get broke, him or me?” is the right question to ask. Any poker player who thinks he can take an A-J suited out-of-position and have the best of it against A raiser is a heck of a lot better poker player than me-if he is right.
<2> On the button, you hold 9♣-8♣. Three other poker players call a quarter, and so do you. What should you do when there is the bigs blinds, a solid poker player, raises $150 more and two of the three poker players in front of you call?
Answer:- It depends on how deep the money is. You might not have much of a playing poker hand on but your position is the best possible. The “five and ten rule ” is a good rule to follow. If your position is good and you are contemplating calling A raise then you have a clear call if the amount is less than five percent of your stack, and if it is more than ten percent then you have a clear fold.
Use your judgment in between those numbers. Always remember that the raiser is your most likely target, so make sure he has enough money to be won, as well as watching your own weapon supply. Deep money is essential if you want to get sufficient benefit out of a good position.
<3> In the small blind, you hold 8-8. Many poker players call a quarter, and you call. What should you do when the big blind raises $125 more, and two poker players call?
Answer :- Again, it depends on how deep the money is. The rule of five and ten should be applied here. For this type of hand, your position is fine. Whether you hit or miss, you can check the flop. Putting the field in the middle, the raiser will most likely bet. You are well placed to reap a good payoff if you flop a set.
The pot is yours for the taking any time a blank hits on fourth street when the flop should be checked by all. According to your rival poker players you are the poker player most likely to have checked a strong hand on the flop. Always remember that at big-bet poker, a drawing hand needs good position throughout the deal; a set needs good position only on the flop.
Being in position throughout the deal will help any hand. However, a set can survive without it. Hence, play connectors in A raised pot only in back position. If the price is right in proportion to your stack, you should play an intermediate pair in most situations.