Overbetting vs. Value Betting
You don’t have to win a lot of pots in one session to turn a profit, you simply need to make sure that every pot you do win, you try to win the absolute most chips possible. A number of new players get scared and anxious about their hands, regardless of how strong the hand is, when they are consistently called on the flop, turn and river. Since they can’t handle the pressure, they will often overbet the pot in an attempt to get their opponent to lay down their hand. If you think you’re opponent is drawing at a hand that can beat yours, then making them pay a heavy price to see the next card is indeed a sound strategy. However, if you’re confident that you have them beat and will more than likely continue to have them beat as the hand progresses, your job is to maximize the amount you can win from the hand. This is accomplished through value betting.
A value bet is where a player that has a strong hand and is fairly certain that he will win the pot, bets an amount that he hopes the other player will call. The point is, they WANT the other player to call, not fold. If you’re holding an absolute monster like a set with a board of mixed suits and no connecting straights, why would you move all-in and scare away all the potential money you can make by value betting? Inexperienced players will continue to overbet in these situations because they rather win the hand and make the minimum then allow their opponent to catch a miracle card. This is just not a good poker.
Value betting is also possible to do to players that have already made their hands, just not hands good enough to beat yours. This happens like when you’ve made a full house, but there is a good chance that someone holds a straight. If you move all-in and there’s enough of one suit out there that could scare the other player into thinking you might have a flush, he’s probably going to fold, so be aware of everything the other guy might be thinking. Value bets don’t have to be small amounts either, it just has to be an amount that you think will get called if you put it out there.
Maximize your winning hands, play less scared, learn the math, and watch your game soar.
