One of the most important parts of no limit Texas Hold'em is managing to control the size of the pot and make sure this remains under your control and not your opponent's. This can be particularly difficult if you come up against a strong player who has many moves which may not give you the information you seek to require by betting.
 
Poker is all about information, and the way you're 'supposed' to find out where you are in a hand is by betting two thirds to three quarters of the pot and hopefully take it down. If you get called or raised however, you have to consider your opponent's hand.
 
Let's take an example. The blinds are 25 / 50 and you're playing five-handed. You are in the small blind with Aq 4r, and it gets folded round to you. As you should know, the value of an ace heads-up is very strong and you'll have the best hand over 90% of the time, so it's advised that you should raise the big blind to hopefully take down the 75 dead money in the pot, with a raise of 150 - 200 recommended. However, in this scenario you happen to have a strong player in the big blind who loves to defend and who wants to be the 'table bully' and push people off pots thanks to his big ego. Straight away this is not going to be as easy as first thought.

Facing the egomaniac  

If you're up against a player like this, you would not be criticized for folding what would almost always be the best hand because Ace rag is an extremely hard hand to play out of position. The odds of flopping an ace is very unlikely so most of the time you'll have ace high, and to c-bet to an aggressive player with that will probably not get through. But let's say that you decide to play this hand and now a 'trouble' flop comes out, 2-4-Q rainbow. This seems a very good flop for you're A 4 heads-up as you're only facing one over-card and you have second pair, top kicker. I would say about 95% of the time you have the best hand and should make a c-bet of two thirds of the pot.
 
The problem here is your opponent. On a one picture, two ragged flop, players love to make plays on these boards because they aren't draw heavy and are hoping you are c-betting with ace high, or even like you are here with 2nd pair top kicker, and they'll look to apply a lot of pressure on you.

However, you decide to bet 250 into 350, hoping to take the pot down there and then. And even if your opponent calls you, 10% of the time you'll turn two pair or trips which should put you in front against the very few times you're up against a queen. But this opponent decides to raise you to 750. You are playing 100 big blinds deep and are faced with a tough spot. Should you fold what is more than likely the best hand? Should you re-raise back to say 2000? Or should you call and see another card?

Making the right move
 
The most optimal play here is to flat call. Let's look at your pot odds. The pot size is now 750 + 350 + 250, which is 1350 and you're risking 500 here. Therefore you're being offered almost 3-1 to make this call and you're 4-1 to improve by the river, and that's if you need to improve! Provided that the player is not an absolute lunatic, your call should slow him down on the turn unless he turns a backdoor flush or straight draw as most aggressive players can't help but bet when it gets checked to them as they're turning their hand into a semi bluff.
 
Of course, the problem with calling is that you're almost always going to check any turn and give them two free shots at outdrawing. And if he was to have two random cards like 9-6 off suit, he could still hit his over-cards 25% of the time. But by not giving him the opportunity to outdraw you it means you'll have to re-raise his 750 bet to around 2000, which could put you in a rather embarrassing spot if your opponent shoves, leaving you with the option of making some kind of 'hero' call.
 
Remember, loose players do sometimes hit a hand, and there are always times when he has 222, 444, or has maybe slow played kings or aces pre-flop. And he may decide to stack off one buy-in with a queen no kicker (for example Qr 6r) if you do make the 4-bet, which should put a normal player in a tough spot but this player is not folding top pair!

You also have to take into account that the fact that there is a straight draw on this board, (A-2-3-4-5) and some players absolutely love to get their money in on the flop with a draw, so by 4-betting to 2000, they make take you off the best hand with an all in shove with just 5 high! So be very careful of making this 4-bet, and always consider your table image and how aggressive your opponent's state of mind is at the time.

Playing in position 

Now let's play this hand if you had position as you may find it slightly easier! You are playing against this very loose player heads-up and you raise in the small blind with the same hand to 175, and he defends. The same rainbow flop comes out and naturally he checks to you. One important aspect of playing heads-up is that you want to bet the same amount whether you have the nuts, nothing, a draw, or a mediocre hand, and it is strongly recommended to always put a c-bet out there. However, if you're playing against a very loose aggressive player who loves to check-raise, then this is where I would definitely check behind.
 
Yes you are giving your opponent a free shot at hitting his 6-outer but what about the times he check-raises you with his 9-T off-suit, turns an 8, and bets 1500 at you, leaving you with a measly second pair that, even if you do hero call with, can still be horribly outdrawn 20% of the time? So this is where I go for pot control and see a turn card. If a miracle four comes on the turn you'll almost certainly win one bet off your opponent as he'll almost always bet this, and of course you have a free chance to make two pair for the very rare occasion your opponent has out-flopped you here.
 
Now what if the turn is a ten? It will most likely have brought a flush draw as there's a very high chance there are two suits out and it will also, of course, have brought several straight draws. Against an aggressive player, once the flop has been checked and an under card to the board comes, he'll almost always fire a turn bet at you, and in this spot you do face a tough decision.

2-4-Q rainbow & 10

Now say your opponent bets 250 at you, let's look at your pot odds. You're risking 250 to win 600 - odds of 12/5 to call - and you know your opponent was always betting the turn whether he has a queen, a ten, a semi bluff or nothing. So it's definitely correct to call here, although I also might think raising small here to regain the 'lead' isn't a terrible play. This is because by doing this you should get a free river check and save yourself more money in the long run against the times your opponent does have you're A-4 beat - and you won't be faced with a value bet of a queen or ten on the river.
 
However, I'll finish by warning that this play can in fact be a dangerous move because if your opponent has turned the up and down straight flush draw, and with his two over cards being live he has the full 21 outs in the deck to hit, you are practically flipping a coin. More importantly though is the fact that he may well be very happy to get it all in on the turn, again pushing you off the best hand and taking down the pot regardless of whether he hits his card to outdraw you. So be very careful if you decide play the turn like this, and like everything in poker it all depends on your opponent's mood your table image.

Text by: Andrew Feldman

Andrew Feldman is a 22-year-old high stakes cash game specialist. You can catch him playing exclusively at Full Tilt Poker. www.andrewfeldmanpoker.com

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