To check, raise or fold? This is the most important questions to answer when it’s your turn to make the bet in a poker game. Deciding which call to make takes strategy, patience and a string understanding of the game. While there are tips to guide you on betting in a Texas Hold’em card game, practice is still your best bet.
The Pot
In a Texas Hold’em card game, the pot depends on the amount of money players have contributed to the pot, either through ante or blind betting. Ante means the predetermined amount all players place on the pot as the initial fund. This is usually a small quantity, just enough to get the pot started. Technically, a player’s ante is not an actual bet but just a token to start with even before the cards are dealt.
The pot money can also come from blinds. Starting from the left of the dealer clockwise, players make “forced” bets either as a big blind or small blind alternately. For this betting round, the big blind is equal to the minimum betting amount, while the small blind is half the sum. As this is the startup bet, no one can make a “check” or pass the bet yet.
After determining the starting pot amount, the four rounds of card dealing and betting progresses. It is during this time that you will determine the amount of your bets based primarily on the hand that you are dealt with.
Check, Raise or Fold
There are three types of bets you can make in a Texas Hold’em card game. To check means to match the bet placed before you, to raise means to increase the bet amount, and to fold means to give up on your hand.
It is important to have a mindset that whenever you place money on the pot, it technically isn’t yours anymore. Experts say this is the windfall of many novice players, where they play just to protect their money. Think of the pot as a whole, and play according to your best strategies, not whether your bet is big or not for that round.
There are many ways, play patterns and statistics to consider when deciding your next bet. But for starters, there is the basic rule of betting depending on the hands that you have.
In simple terms, when you have a starting weak hand, you need to fold. Some people mistakenly believe that they can still stand a good chance depending on how the game plays out, so they still put more money to the pot even when they get the weakest combinations such as 2-7 and 2-8. But more often than not, with a weak hand, you rarely win.
Meanwhile, a strong hand allows you greater chances of winning, especially if it’s among the strong suits of Ace-Ace, King-King, Queen-Queen and Ace-King. However, excellent cards alone don’t help you win big – you also need to apply the right strategies to play well in a Texas Hold’em card game.
In a Texas Hold’em card game as with any casino game, winning is your ultimate goad but when you’re just starting out, you are also after the experience itself. The more games you play in, the more skilled you will be and be quick in making the right decisions in different card situations.