Defensive Betting

In no limit holdem, scare cards are even scarier than in limit. When the flush draw hits on the river, or an Ace hits when you have KK, you run into trouble. The problem you face is that you don't really know whether your opponent's hand was completed. You don't really want to just check every time because that leaves you open to him bluffing. Likewise, you don't want to fire another bet into someone who has you beat, risking more chips than necessary. And, you still want to make money when you have the best hand.

One trick I've learned is how to make a defensive bet. The options are:

1. He does have you beat and that card made his hand.
2. He doesn't have you beat and that card was irrelevant.

One option is to just bet some, maybe the same amount you bet on the previous betting round.

What might happen:

1. He does have you beat. When you bet some, not a whole lot, he will most likely raise. This is a clear signal that you are beat, as opposed to checking and having him bet when he perceives weakness. You can fold knowing that most likely he does have the best hand, or he is making a very risky bet. In no limit holdem, he has to double your bet if he wants to raise, so this acts as kind of a deterrent. It is much harder for someone to raise to bluff than it is to bet to bluff when someone else checks. This may also allow you to see the river more cheaply. Example: He may only call with a small flush thinking you have a larger one.
2. He doesn't have you beat. You might get paid off anyway with your hand that is still the best. Also, the scare card looks just as bad to him as it does to you, so maybe he might even fold a hand that was better than yours to start with.

Notice how difficult it is to counter the defensive bet when a scare card hits. It's very likely someone who did hit a flush on the turn or an Ace won't bet a lot because they want you to call. So don't be afraid it appears weak.

Additional Information:

• Betting for Information - a great article to add another level to your game
• The Unpredictable Betting Pattern - help understand other players betting pattern
• Bet Flop Check Turn Pattern - why this pattern can be very lucrative for you

As an extension of this, you can bluff the same way, especially if you've made a bet like this in the past at the same table. Say you tried the defensive bet and got to showdown your KK on the river. It makes no difference if it won or not. It sets you up perfectly to pull a bluff later using the same tactic. Bet a small amount out on the turn or river when a scare card hits (something you could reasonably have). It will be very hard for the players to not take it seriously.

 

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