Poker News

Dr. Scott Aigner

[Read the first and second part of this article]

Another time you can just call a weak lead is when you have a draw yourself. In fact there is nothing sweeter than for you and your opponent to have the same flush draw and both of you getting there with your flush being the nuts. Some opponents will have a straight draw and still try to make it when the board has a flush possibility too. This also tends to gain you additional money in the later betting rounds if you both get there. The better players will rarely weak lead with a strong hand like a set or a big pair when there is a flush draw on the board. Keep this in mind as well.

Finally, another time to just smooth call is when you need more information but you do not want to reopen the betting by raising. The small bet in relationship to the pot still gives you the right odds to take a card off. Letting your opponent think he is getting the next card cheap is just fine with me when I want to see it inexpensively too. If your savvy opponent has a big hand he will often increase his bet on the next round. This gives you the information you needed without putting in more chips on the previous round to find out where you are at. Against the habitual weak leader you rarely want to just smooth call as they tend to call your raises and not make a re-raise unless they have a huge hand. The weaker your opponent, the more likely you will gain the right information on their holding by forcing them to a decision.

The weak lead is a very valuable tool in no limit and pot limit poker and one that a number of good players have in their arsenal of weapons. Using this strategy can save you chips, increase your implied odds (and pot odds) decrease your volatility, trap your opponent, win you uncontested pots, and even get a call from an opponent who would have otherwise folded. Although a number of players don’t like this bet because it appears to be a weak strategy, that is the very reason to use this betting pattern. Even if you still don’t use this bet often you need to understand why this bet is utilized by your opponents and how to counter this play to be a successful no limit and pot limit player. I hope you consider trying this play in the future and see how effective this strategy can be in the right situation.

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