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Blocking Bets

A blocking bet is just a bet aimed at stopping other players from betting.

It works the following way: y ou are the one who has to act the first; you are going to check, but you are almost sure if you do that, an opponent will make a large bet and will put you to a tough decision. Thus, you make a small bet with the hope that the other players will only call.

We usually use the blocking bets for two goals. First, it can serve to extract some value from weaker hands that would fold to a bigger bet. And second, it makes your opponents unable to bluff, avoiding a tough decision if you get raised.

It is best to resort to the blocking when playing against naive players who will bluff bet scare cards if checked to, but hardly ever bluff-raise in the same situation. It's commonly used on the turn or river in order to manage the action from out of position. The blocking bet can work even in a multiway pot where such moves as the Continuation Bet and the Call Bluff appear useless. The presence of the other players tends to protect you somewhat from the horrible bluff-raise.

You should keep in mind that sometimes this method just does not work. First of all, it refers to the play with those opponents who like to bluff-raise if they feel you are a weak or inexperienced player. For example, if a good player reads your hand as an ace, he may represent the flush with a raise too big for you to call.

You can also try a blocking bet while on a draw. It is a good way to draw cheaply. The purpose is to “set your own price” to hit your draw before your opponent gets the chance to charge you more. The pros use the blocking bet very often when playing against a hand they know has them beat. If you block properly, and keep the initial input small, the implied odds against cracking a slow-played monster can make this a very profitable action.

Continuation and Floater Bets

These days every good poker player must know what a continuation bet (c-bet) is. Many top professionals recommend making it only when you are heads-up to the flop.

The scheme of its work is like this: a player raises (or re-raises) pre-flop and gets called by one or more players. After the flop it is checked to him, and he bets no matter he hits the flop or not.

The c-bet is very good as a start. It may give a complex of multiple advantages. For instance, c-bets can win the pot immediately. They can increase the pot size to an amount that makes your opponent feel uncomfortable, giving you an opportunity to steal an even bigger pot on the turn. They can force your opponent to commit early to a bad hand, in effect making them risk a lot to win a little. They can conceal your bets with good hands, giving you bigger earnings with your big hands.

The continuation bets are especially useful when you participate in a tournament. There is much more trapping for small pots and you simply can't afford to lose the chips you would put into play with an ill-made continuation bet.

The continuation bet is always worth considering after you've raised pre-flop. It will be more effective when you have position and are against only few opponents.

In some case s when you have certain hands and certain stack sizes t he c-bet can put you into a dangerous situation. For instance, it is if your opponent has about one pot-sized raise left after your bet. This size encourages all-in check-raises with different hand types. Also, the continuation bet will not be very useful if you are out of position, particularly against tough players. Experienced players will guess quickly what you're doing and try to keep in the hand, hoping to win the pot on a later street.

Poker players may use the so-called delayed c-bet, which is also known as the floater. It is when you delay your c-bet until fourth street , or let it "float." Another variation is to check the flop with the purpose of a check-raise, without taking into consideration your hand.

Sinking a floater is the same as trapping a continuation bettor: first you have to define what your opponents are doing, then play back at them by allowing them to do it and stealing the bets made by them when they do.

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