Quote:
Originally Posted by browser2920
I admit I don't know much if anything about theory, so if this is a really stupid question, please just let me know, and I'll delete it quickly.
Let's say (to use round numbers) that on the turn, your opponent has a draw that he needs 4:1 to correctly call, and say the pot is $300. So if I bet $100, then he will have to call 100 to win 400 so he's getting his 4:1. For sake of this example, let's exclude whether he has implied odds if he hits, etc.
Now, if this opponent will not call if he is not getting correct odds, (if I bet $101 he will fold) is the correct thing for me to do is bet more than 101 so he folds; or should I bet less than 100, so while he is now getting correct odds to call, I am still making the pot bigger with me as a favorite?
If he won't make a mistake by calling without the correct odds, I am making a mistake by giving him correct odds, if the alternative is he will fold? Is it better to get some additional amount of money into the pot as a 4:1 favorite, or is that a mistake?
Hope that makes sense and isn't too elementary for this forum.
Thanks.
This is a typical question when players start to think more deeply about poker, but I don't think you're going to get the answer that you're looking for because your framing the question wrong. What I think that you're asking is the following:
When I have a made hand should I size my bets so that my opponent does not have the odds to call when he has a typical drawing hand such as a flush draw?
However, that is now what you asked, instead you asked the following:
What I have a made hand and I
*know* the Villain has a flush draw, then should I bet big enough that he doesn't have the odds to call?
Now the answer to this second question is that you should bet an amount that makes the opponent indifferent between calling and folding. And it kinda seems from your example that your opponent is going to fold then anyways.
But the problem with your example is that it assumes that you know what your opponent holds when in reality you will never know this and your opponents range of hands will include hands which are not draws. In other words, you need to think about how to maximize the EV of your hand in terms of your opponents entire range of hands. When you think at this level, you will find out that there's not a good reason to assume that we should be making the opponent indifferent to calling with a flush draw, we're just as likely to want to make him indifferent to calling with 2nd pair or a gut shot or really just about any mediocre hand.
And then lastly, once you get past that level of thinking, you need to realize that inorder to maximize the EV of your particular hand, then you need to think about how your hand works in relation to your entire range. For example, if you only have 1 combo of a strong hand, then even if your opponent has a significant amount of draws, then you might not want to bet this hand and instead put it in your checking range to strengthen your checking range from the potential of a Villain over-betting. And in this way, you'll be maximizing the EV of your hand and the hands in all your ranges.