Written By: NoPokerFace.net
Sometimes you find yourself in a can’t-lose situation, commonly known as holding the nuts. Congratulations. Cherish these moments. They are few and far between. But while you’re there, take advantage of it and make every penny you can. This is where the value bet comes into play.
Whether you’ve actually got the nuts or you’re just certain that you’ve got the winning hand, you want to maximize your take. Let’s face it – you don’t know when you’re gonna get back on top of the hill.
So what’s the proper bet in a situation like this?
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Check
Haha. Yeah, right. The idea of poker is to make money! Here you are with a sure thing, and you want to pass up the opportunity? Actually, some pokerphiles will tell you that the “laying in wait” strategy is a good one, especially against an aggressive player or table. As a matter of fact, slow playing can be an efficient tactic when used at the right time. The hope is that your opponent will lay a bet to either try to buy the pot or with the thought that he actually has the winning hand. Then you come over the top like the wild beast attacking its prey. There are some instances that this may be effective – particularly if you’re in a hand against multiple players and the action has checked around to you. But there are several risks with checking that far outweigh the notion of betting.
For one thing, the other players - especially if there’s only one other player, may also check. There’s money lost. The other risk is that your check-raise may scare off the competition. Money lost again, but you’ll at least stack up whatever your check raised victim had bet.
All-In Baby!
Although the temptation is great to put your entire stack out there on a sure thing, you’re much less likely to see any return on that investment. Although the all-in is occasionally used on a bluff, it’s usually a statement of confidence and a very strong hand. Unless your stack is relatively low, it’s a statement usually heeded by the other players.
For those reasons, in most cases, going all-in might look cool, but won’t pay off. Are you playing to show off, or to make money?
Baby Bear: The Value Bet
If checking is the too-soft Mama Bear, and going all-in is the too-hard Papa Bear, then the value bet is “juuusst right.” The value bet is that perfect middle ground: a bet that is not too large as to scare anyone away, but not too small that you won’t make money. A proper calculation is usually about 2/3 to 3/4 the size of the pot. (full pot-size bets have their own stigma as well.)
We like to call it the “price is right” bet. This bet must fall in that small window where your opponents (the ones with some kind of hand) will feel that they can’t throw away their hand, they have to call. Furthermore, depending on the hands in play and what’s on the board, that value bet might even induce a raise by an overzealous opponent. Punish him and stack your chips.