The Right Time To Chase A Straight

Chasing straights and flush draws will BURN you... there's
no doubt about it.

The term "chasing" means you stay in the hand... hoping to
catch a certain card (or cards) that will complete your
straight.

The problem with chasing is that the ODDS ARE AGAINST YOU.
And as you know, successful Texas Holdem poker is all about
keeping the odds in your favor.

But sometimes chasing a straight IS the right thing to do.

SOMETIMES.

Let me explain...

First off, let's look at the two different types of straight
draws:

1. GUTSHOT - This is when you're trying to make an INSIDE
straight... like if you have 4-5-6-8 and you need the 7.

2. OPEN-ENDED - This is when TWO cards can "make" your
straight... like if you have 4-5-6-7 and need EITHER the 3
or the 8.

There's also what's called a "double belly buster", which is
actually like two gutshots at once. We'll talk about this a
little later.

OK, so how should you play a gutshot straight draw? Let's
look at the odds... if you FLOP an inside (gutshot) straight
draw, the odds of making your straight are 16.47%.

If you have an inside straight draw after the TURN... with
just the river card to go... your odds are 8.70%.

So the odds aren't good. 16.47% might SOUND like it's worth
it... but you've got to ANTICIPATE the bet after the turn
card.

For instance, let's say you flop an inside straight draw and
someone makes a big bet. If you call and then miss your
straight on the turn, what then?

Your opponent makes ANOTHER big bet... do you call to see
the river card? You feel pot committed, but you know the
odds are against you...

This is how you get into trouble with gutshot straight
draws. You become pot committed and you chase a hand that's
not worth chasing.

As a general principle, you should NOT chase gutshot
straight draws... especially on the river.

When I flop a gutshot, I might call a small bet but that's
it. And that's only when the odds are worth it.

As we'll discuss in a moment, you must also factor in the
IMPLIED ODDS... but first, let's look at how to play
open-ended straight draws.

For an open-ended straight draw, your odds of making your
straight are MUCH better. If you flop an open-ender your
odds of hitting are 31.45%.

If you have an open-ender with just the river card to go,
your odds are 17.39%.

Notice that you have BETTER chances of completing an
open-ended straight draw just on the RIVER than completing a
gutshot straight draw on both the turn AND the river.

Interesting, huh?

OK, so what's the right way to play an open-ender?

Many players will just CHECK with an open-ended straight
draw... and then CALL any bets.

This is REACTIVE card playing... and it's the WRONG thing to
do.

You need to be PROACTIVE... and here's why:

Let's say you've got 6-7 of diamonds and the flop hits:

4-5-K

You've got the top half of an open-ended straight draw...
either an 8 or a 3 will give you the nut straight.

The NATURAL TENDENCY here is to check. You don't have
ANYTHING yet... no pairs, no high cards, nothing. So
obviously you'd LOVE to wait to see if you make your
straight before you risk any chips, right?

Wrong.

If you just check, you're making three dangerous mistakes:

Mistake 1: You're showing weakness.

Mistake 2: You're not increasing the pot size.

Mistake 3: You're giving your opponent a read on you.

There's a strange analogy I like to use for this.

If you're ever in the forest or wilderness and you encounter
a mountain lion, bobcat, or other similar PREDATOR, the
NATURAL TENDENCY is to get scared.

Most people would run away!

However... the RIGHT thing to do is to SHOW AGGRESSION and
NOT show fear.

I'm dead serious here.

The right thing to do if you see a bobcat is to make a lot
of noise, to raise your hands in the air and possibly hold
up a coat or jacket (in order to appear bigger), and to
snarl or growl.

It's counter-intuitive... but it's what you MUST do if you
don't want to get attacked (or eaten).

Now... back to Texas Holdem... LOL.

Your OPPONENT is your PREDATOR. Show them weakness and they
will likely attack you.

When you have an open-ended straight draw, you want to see
the next two cards... and you don't want to risk a lot of
chips to do so.

So the RIGHT PLAY is to BET or RAISE the pot.

In our example above, you want to throw out a
reasonably-sized bet. Your opponents might fold right there.
Or you might get one or two callers.

NOW, when the TURN card comes, your opponents will probably
check to you. So basically you're getting a FREE CARD. You
can check and see the river for free.

If you HADN'T taken control of the betting, your opponents
would have made you PAY A LOT to see the river card. And you
might of been forced to FOLD your open-ended straight draw.

By taking control of the betting and coming out strong after
the flop, you're actually investing LESS money overall to
see the next two cards.

Now... the other reason taking control is important is
because it doesn't give your opponent a read on you.

Say your opponent checks the flop and you also check. The
turn card comes and it's a 3... giving you the straight.

Your opponent checks again and now all of the sudden you
come out betting strong.

Obviously, your opponent will SEE what's going on here and
will have a hunch that you just made your straight... and
he'll fold.

If you DON'T bet after the 3, the odds of you making any
real money off of this hand are slim, and you've let your
straight go to waste.

So the key is to bet EARLY... that way if you HIT you're
golden and you'll get paid. And if you DON'T hit you won't
have to invest any more chips.

Say you took control of the betting after the flop and your
opponent called with A-5. He's probably putting you on the
King, but isn't sure... He's got middle pair along with an
Ace.

The turn card comes and it's a 3, so you bet again. Your
opponent calls again.

Finally the river hits and it's an Ace, giving your opponent
TWO PAIR. By now he's confident that you have the King...
and not the straight... since you were betting consistently
after the flop.

So your opponent puts you ALL-IN with his hand... not
knowing that you've got him DOMINATED. You win a big pot,
all because you played the open-ender properly.

There's also what's called a "double belly buster" straight
draw. A regular (single) belly buster is simply an inside
straight draw. A DOUBLE means there are TWO different cards
to make your straight... but it's not open-ended.

For example, if you were holding A-5 and the flop hit 3-4-7
you would have a DOUBLE BELLY BUSTER.

Either a 2 or a 6 would give you a straight.

Double belly busters are great because your opponents will
often never see them coming... and your odds of hitting are
the same as an OPEN-ENDED straight draw.

When an opponent doesn't put you on a hand, THAT is when
you'll be able to win the most chips. This is known as
IMPLIED ODDS.

Implied odds means that when you make your hand, you're
going to get paid a LOT for it.

Implied odds is a very important part of making decisions in
Texas Holdem... just like regular odds. Except the key
distinction is that implied odds doesn't necessarily involve
numbers or math percentages.

Implied odds is more about getting a SENSE for how big the
pot will be if you make your hand.

When your implied odds are HIGH, you can often bet more
early in order to build the pot size.

An example of high implied odds is when there's a straight
draw on the board with HIGH CARDS. For instance, let's say
you're holding J-10 and the flop comes Q-K-3.

You've got an open-ended straight draw... but you might face
opponents who have a REALLY GOOD HAND right now... something
like A-K, A-Q, or K-Q.

An opponent with a big hand is going to be very aggressive
with his bets... and if a 9 or an Ace hits, you're going to
win a ton of chips. Those are high implied odds.

On the other hand, this type of flop is BAD for you because
it means you'll probably have to PAY DEARLY to see the turn
and river cards.

Be careful... don't chase the straight if it's going to
break your chip stack.

An example of a straight with LOW implied odds would be when
it's all low cards on the board. After all, if no one has
anything decent, no one is going to give you a lot of
action.

When you have an open-ended straight draw with low cards and
you sense weakness in your opponents, the best move is to
act aggressively and take the pot down right there.

After all... nearly 70% of the time you are NOT going to hit
your straight. So if you can win the pot by betting, do so.

If you do get a caller, that's OK too, because you still
have a lot of outs and a good chance at busting your
opponent (and now the implied odds are higher since he's pot
committed and must have a good hand).

Another example of low implied odds is when the straight
draw on the board is OBVIOUS. This is especially relevant
when there's only ONE card needed to make the straight.

For instance, let's say you have K-7 and the board reads
3-4-5. And then the turn card comes and it's a 6.

Of course, with 3-4-5-6 on the board, your opponents WILL be
suspicious that someone has the straight. This type of
situation is sometimes good for a check-raise... or a strong
bet to make it LOOK like you're buying the pot. (It just
depends on your table image.)

With straight draws, be extra careful to pay attention to
what ELSE is out there on the board. You will often
encounter hands that BEAT you and wipe out your entire chip
stack.

For instance... look for possible FLUSH draws. If your
opponent might have made a flush, back off. Muck the hand if
you need to and live to see another day.

Full houses are dangerous too. If two cards on the board
pair up, be careful.

And last but not least, always think about what OTHER
straights are possible. For instance, if you're holding A-2
and the flop hits 3-4-5, you have the BOTTOM end of the
straight. Someone could have 7-6, or maybe 6-2, and would
have you beat.

It's the same way with our double belly buster example. In
that example the flop was 3-4-7 and you had A-5. Let's say a
6 hit the board.

Even though you have the straight (3-7), it's NOT the best
possible straight. Your opponent could be holding 8-5...
which would be the nut straight.

It's the same way with FOUR consecutive cards on the board.
If the board reads 5-6-7-8 and you've got the 9, that
doesn't mean you have the "nuts".

The nuts would be 10-9... which would give someone the
straight (6-10).

The possibilities are ENDLESS... and you'll soon discover
that the more you play Texas Holdem the more IMPORTANT every
possibility becomes.

For the most part, keep in mind that you want to only
"chase" a straight when the odds of hitting are most
favorable, when the implied odds are good, and when you
think you can see a cheap (or free) river card.

Knowing how to INCREASE your winnings and DECREASE your
losses is the name of the game. Strategies like these will
also minimize your risk during each pot... and help you
secure a CONSISTENT winning streak.

To always keep the "odds in your favor", download this
software tool that I highly recommend:

http://www.CalculatemPro.com/tl/621KjvD

How To Use Bad Beats To Your Advantage

When I first started playing online poker I'd log on to a
low-stakes game... thinking I'd win EASILY against all the
fish.

I'd make my deposit... buy-in to a tournament or ring
game... and use the same strategies I'd use in casinos and
local cash games.

But in no time... sometimes MINUTES... I'd be out of money.

Poof!

Just like that. Back to zero.

I'd think to myself, "Wow, I just caught a cold streak of
cards... I'll make it back."

I'd put in another deposit (this time without the bonus) and
play again...

Poof! Gone again.

And again.

And again.

Then I started thinking, "Wow, these poker rooms must be
rigged somehow... or someone must be cheating..."

The WORST part was when I'd catch a "bad beat".

But not just ONE bad beat...

It seemed I was catching them CONSTANTLY-- way more than in
"regular" poker...

I'd hit trips and put my opponent on two pair... only to
learn that he chased an inside straight draw and hit it on
the river.

Opponents would bet middle-pair aggressively... and then
make three-of-a-kind on the turn.

I'd have K-Q and the flop would come K-10-3. I'd bet my top
pair aggressively and my opponent would call. Then I'd watch
in awe as he beat me with A-5 as the Ace fell on the
river...

Then I'd scream at my computer:

"WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS HE CALLING WITH? THIS IS COMPLETE
BULL$&#@! WHAT AN IDIOT!"

Has this ever happened to you?

If so, give me a silent nod.

Now... here's the thing:

After a lot of frustrated nights of cursing at the avatars
on my computer, I made a BREAKTHROUGH.

It was this breakthrough that helped me turn my online poker
game into a PROFITABLE, money-making MACHINE... the same as
when I played in casinos and cash games.

What was this breakthrough?

I STARTED TO USE THE "BAD BEATS" TO MY ADVANTAGE.

Yes, you read that right.

Now hear me out...

It all started when I finally asked myself one crucial
question:

"Could it actually be MY FAULT that I'm suffering all these
bad beats?"

And the answer was YES.

Indeed... I wasn't necessarily CAUSING them to happen. But I
was LETTING them happen over and over.

You see, online poker is RIPE for bad beats. If you've
played much, you already know what I'm talking about.

The reason is because the amateurs chase when they
shouldn't, bet when they shouldn't, and call when they
shouldn't.

It's that simple.

Now as I've explained in previous newsletters, when you pick
up a monster hand pre-flop you MUST narrow the table down to
one or two callers.

DO NOT see a flop with pocket Kings with five other players
in the hand. You'll lose.

The solution is to raise EXTREMELY aggressively-- more so
than you'd do at the local casino.

Then the odds are fully in your favor going into the flop...
and your chances of getting "sucked out" decrease
dramatically.

Now... the SAME EXACT CONCEPT can be extended to your
betting patterns AFTER the flop.

It just gets more tricky.

For instance, let's say you limp-in with a hidden hand like
suited-connectors or a small pocket pair. Then you hit big
on the flop. What do you do?

Obviously there are a lot of considerations. But in GENERAL,
the natural thing to do is SLOW-PLAY it...

But online, you CAN'T do that if there are multiple players
in the hand. Because that's what leads to bad beats.

The key is to BET AGGRESSIVELY and always find out "where
you stand" against your opponents.

And when I say "aggressive", I mean AGGRESSIVE. You'll have
to risk more chips than you're used to in order to get rid
of the chasers.

To find out where you stand in the hand, you've got to use
some special techniques...

The first is simple: RAISE. If your opponent is chasing, he
probably won't go over the top of you. But if he's already
made a hand, he'll re-raise.

Another technique is to simply make two very large bets in a
row. Anyone who calls TWO large bets in a row (after the
flop and turn) probably already made a good hand.

Also, watch for "check-calls". That's when you have
positioning on your opponent and he checks... then calls
your bet. This is a sure sign of a chaser, or someone with a
marginal hand.

"Check-call" usually translates to:

"Please don't bet... Please don't bet... Damn! He bet. Oh
well I have to call... I have to see the next card..."

OK, one last point.

DON'T be afraid of scaring EVERYONE out of the pot.
Sometimes you'll mis-judge the situation and EVERYONE will
fold to your bet or raise... and all you'll have won are
some blinds.

That's OK. It will happen... but it's better to err on the
side of TOO AGGRESSIVE rather than getting busted.

All right... let me show you an example. This will show you
how to use bad beats to your ADVANTAGE...

Let's say you're in the big blind. You pick up your cards:

Jd-9c

Three players limp-in... including the small blind. You
check to see a free flop.

The flop hits:

Jc-9h-3d

Nice. Top two pair.

The guy in the small blind is first to act... and he comes
out firing with a medium-sized bet. Now it's on you. What's
the play?

You have to raise. You want the next two players OUT and to
go heads-up with the SB. He'll probably call your raise if
he came out firing first...

But let's say you DON'T raise. Let's say you call and the
other two players call.

Now let's look at your PERCENTAGE CHANCES of winning this
hand... based on some "hypothetical cards" that your
opponents are holding.

Let's say the guy in the small blind is holding:

Qs-10s

That means he just flopped the open-ended straight draw.

The other two players have:

Ad-9d and 2c-2h

The guy with A-9 has middle pair. He can hope for the Ace or
runner-runner diamonds.

Deuces boy on the button is just looking for a third deuce.

IF THIS WERE THE SITUATION, WHAT ARE YOUR ODDS OF WINNING?

Well, if the hand plays out with all four of you, the odds
of you winning are just 45.9%.

That's right... LESS THAN 1/2!

Now if you were playing this hand in real life and lost to
either:

- The Ace on the river...
- A deuce...
- Or a King or an eight...

...you'd probably call it a "bad beat".

At least it would FEEL like a bad beat, right?

After all, your odds of winning are HIGHER than anyone
else's!

But the fact remains, your odds of winning this hand are
LESS THAN 50%.

Now here's the kicker...

Probably MOST of your low-stakes opponents online WOULD call
a medium-sized bet with those hands...

SO, the solution is to raise. You already know that. When
you raise, your odds go way up...

If you raise enough to force only the small blind to call,
your odds of winning are about 70%. Sure beats below 50%!

Now... the turn comes:

7h

Great. You know this didn't help him... He checks to you,
which suggests he has the straight draw or a marginal hand.

Now THIS is where you make your move.

After the turn your odds of winning are over 80%. LEVERAGE
THOSE ODDS.

If you know your opponent is on a draw MAKE HIM PAY FOR IT.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you let him see a free river.
Because if he misses he's going to fold.

This is where your all-in move is good. You've got an 80%
chance... and your opponent is feeling pot-committed.

Get all your money in the middle RIGHT NOW.

OK, so you go all-in. Your opponent calls with the
open-ended straight draw... all he can pray for is a King or
an eight...

The river hits:

Kh

BOOM!

Your opponent MAKES HIS STRAIGHT and you lose all your
chips.

Haha... I'M JUST KIDDING!

The river is a five of clubs and YOU WIN!

(Hey, they're my examples... I gotta have fun with them once
in awhile... ;)

The key is to LEVERAGE those loose players by UNDERSTANDING
what makes them "tick".

LEVERAGE means RAISING THE STAKES. You've got to put all
your money in the middle and be OK with losing it 1/5 of the
time... and enjoy the rewards of winning MASSIVE POTS the
other four times.

Now the IMPLICATION of raising the stakes is that you must
CHOOSE BATTLES WISELY.

Don't bluff very much... certainly not from the beginning of
a hand. Only bluff towards the end when you sense weakness.

Choose the high-stakes showdowns when you've already made a
hand... not when you're on a draw. And do it against
opponents who don't have as many chips as you...

When you take everything into consideration, you realize
it's not just about "betting big". It's about adopting BAD
BEATS into your OVERALL STYLE OF PLAY.

For example, you'll think twice about getting into a
showdown with 60:40 odds (in your favor) when you're playing
in a big tournament. Because you know that there's a 40%
chance of getting ELIMINATED... and you know that your
opponent is probably loose enough to risk all his chips on
it.

It's the same way with something like flush and straight
draws. How you play them will depend on WHERE you're playing
them...

Ring game? Multi-table tournament? 6-player Sit and Go?

And WHO are you playing them against... Chip leader or short
stack?

And at WHAT STAKES?

Listen... the thing that immediately transformed my online
poker game was simply realizing that all the bad beats were
coming for a REASON.

Don't just play the cards... and don't just play the
players... also play the fact that PEOPLE WILL MAKE
IRRATIONAL DECISIONS.

Risk lots when the odds are in your favor... and don't count
on your opponents being too intelligent. You'll start
winning HUGE POTS by feeding on the "fish".

Here's something SCARY...

Rumor has it that 99% of online poker players LOSE money
over time.

Yeah... 99%.

A portion of that is because of the rake, of course. I
mean... if you play break-even all the time you'll end up
DOWN because of the rake.

But the rake doesn't account for THAT big of percentage!

If this is true that 99% of online poker players are losers,
it means something VERY important...

THAT 1% IS MAKING A FORTUNE!

Think about it: The only other place for all that money to
go (besides the rake) is to those winners!

Crazy to imagine, huh?

Now if you're one of those LOSING players right now, you
have three options:

1. Stop playing and go spend your money somewhere else.

2. Keep playing for the fun of it... and think of your
losses as the price of "entertainment".

3. Figure out how to be in that top 1%.

Option three is pretty damn sweet... I'm not gonna lie.

Because there's nothing better than knowing you can sit on
the couch in your underwear, click your mouse a few times,
and START MAKING MOOLA.

You've already taken the first step by subscribing to my
newsletter.

The next step is to put these strategies and tips into
ACTION... through practice and hard work.

You should also study and LEARN MORE about poker every
chance you get. If you haven't read my eBook yet, go get it
now...

http://www.NoLimitHoldemSecrets.com/tl/618GqYh