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he Guardian Poker Column |
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Victoria
Coren |
Friday December 9, 2005
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How to play poker (How to play has been running from issue 16) |
We have now discussed every sort of ace you can get in a
Texas hold 'em starting hand; let's have a little chat about kings
I
sometimes think that it should be possible, during any poker game, to make an
extra bet on whether or not there will be an ace on the flop. If I'm holding a
pair of kings, I reckon the odds are about 2/1. It always bloody turns up to
kill your hand. |
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Naturally, with a pair of kings, you raise or
re-raise before the flop. If the flop comes without an ace, you can play your
kings the same way as we discussed for a pair of aces: bet them strongly, while
keeping an eye out for straights and flushes on the board or opponents who just
won't go away.
But what if an ace does appear on the flop? Now you've
got two problems. One is that many people like to see the flop with an ace in
their hand, so you might well have gone behind. The other is that many people
like to bluff an ace-high flop, just in case the raiser hasn't got
one.
This is why I would generally check. Betting can get you into
trouble: if somebody raises, you don't know if you're being bluffed or not. So
it can be more informative to check, and see what your opponent does. If he
bets, you can call to take a view on the next card. Or you can choose to
believe a conservative opponent, and throw your hand away. Or you can raise. A
check-raise is very effective here, as it would take a will of iron to bluff
you again. If you check-raise, and get called or re-raised, then you are 90%
likely to be losing. At least you know where you are.
As for non-paired
kings in your starting hand, obviously, AK is very strong. You also want to see
a flop with KQ. You can call with KJ or K10 of the same suit - looking to make
two pair on the flop, or a straight or a flush, or a big draw. If you make one
pair, it probably ain't good enough.
And other kings? K9 and downwards?
Sorry ... in the bin.
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