Poker News

Dr. Scott Aigner

Read the first part of this article.

So what is an effective strategy against the weak lead? One obvious question you have to ask yourself first is who your opponent is. If he is inexperienced then he will make this bet frequently. If he is a deceptive opponent then you might be up against a drawing hand, a medium strength hand, or against a very strong hand. One way to tell the difference is what appears on the flop. A 2 flush on board makes the draw a possibility. If you have the flush draw yourself then this makes the weak lead a little more suspicious. Also consider whether the pot was raised pre-flop. Knowing whether your opponent makes the weak lead when on a draw and out of position is also key to your strategy.

Of course your holding also makes a difference in your strategy against the weak lead. A common counter strategy is to make a pot sized raise. This play works well against the medium strength hand as well as against the habitual weak leader. It also puts a stop to the bluffers and semi-bluffers. A mistake that I see often when an inexperienced player raises in this situation is to make the raise relative to their opponent’s bet rather than the size of the pot. This can allow your deceptive opponent to call and still have pretty good odds to hit their draw.

The bigger the stack sizes the better the implied odds are so keep this in mind too. If a good player calls your pot sized raise then tread carefully as it usually means that they have more than just a typical draw. They could have a pair with a flush draw, top two pair, or even more likely a set. The other variable you have to consider is both your opponent’s stack size as well as your own. If you have a small stack then they will usually have the right odds to put you all in with a draw and might make you commit to your hand if they have a made hand. Getting involved against a big stack by making a pot sized raise is not the right strategy if you want them to fold and you

have a small or medium stack. Just move your stack in and let them make the tough decision.

Making the raise so that your opponent is receiving a little less than 3 to 1 odds might be a better strategy when you have a very strong hand. You want to win a decent sized pot as these hands do not come around very often. Don’t blow your opponent out of the water. Just give them odds that are incorrect for them to take. The less experienced your opponent, the more likely they will make the mistake and call. The better player will make several extra bets on several rounds and rarely try for the home run all in move. You need to accumulate chips and you have to take some risks, By all means do it when you are ahead and an opponent is willing to play with you. These risks are not only acceptable but mandatory to your success.

Another play with a strong hand is to just smooth call your opponent’s bet. I do not recommend this play if there is a possible straight or flush draw on board. Don’t forget that an opponent can also have a gutshot in these situations. There is nothing worse then letting an opponent get there for free or inexpensively. Also remember that just because the board is rainbow on the flop that doesn’t mean your opponent couldn’t have picked up a flush draw on the turn. Don’t let them hit those backdoor draws on the turn by smooth calling a second weak bet.

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