Poker News

Dr. Scott Aigner, M.D.

Have you ever played against an opponent who makes a minimum bet despite a large pot? There are different reasons that an opponent uses this strategy. For some players they do not understand the no limit betting structure. A savvy player uses the minimum bet when they are on a draw, whenthey have a medium strength hand, to gain information, to steal the pot against certain opponents, and when they have a very strong hand. By making a minimum bet they might prevent an opponent from making a larger bet when on a draw. This play can work against tight opponents or inexperienced ones and can even win the pot when those type of opponents will fold to any bet. Another reason to make a weak lead is when you have a very strong hand. By leading out with a small bet it disguises the real strength of your hand. Against an opponent who is aggressive or marked with a big over pair the weak lead can trap your opponent into making a big raise. This trap play works very well. Once you have sprung the trap it is often too little too late for your opponent to fold especially in a tournament when comparing the size of their raise and what remains in their stack. Another time one might use a weak lead is when out of position. By making a smaller bet your opponent might not raise and you can see the next card for less than what your opponent might bet if you checked . It can also get you to a cheap showdown on the river when you have a medium strength hand as well as when you might have the best hand but are not sure. Finally, a weak lead can be a value bet when you think your opponent might call a small bet but not a bigger one just because of the pot odds you are giving him.

A number of players state that they never use the weak lead when they play no limit or pot limit poker. Why not just bet the size of the pot? The main reason is because it can save you chips, improve your implied odds when on a draw, and can get an opponent to commit to a worse hand when they have few or even no outs. Well then why not just bet the pot with your set as they will probably commit to their hand anyway, right? This is where mixing up your play by making weak leads with those drawing hands and medium strength hands come into play. Make your opponent guess when you are on that draw as well as give your opponent a chance to bluff off all of his chips with a big raise when he sees your bet as an attempt to draw cheaply or as having a weak holding. By making this play part of your game strategy you can add even more deception to your game and cause your opponents to make the wrong decision at the wrong time.

Some players like to disguise their hands by betting the same percentage of the pot every time. This can be costly though when you are on a draw or have a hand that cannot withstand a big raise. In a tournament your chip stack is relatively small in relationship to the blinds. By making smaller bets you can gain more information on your opponent’s holding by betting more than just one or two rounds. Using the weak lead or making a small bet on the flop can get you more information then a pot sized bet that can tie you into playing for all of your chips.

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