Poker Strategy – Adding Value To The Pot

If you’ve read our previous article entitle “Poker Strategy – Pot Odds”, you should have enough knowledge to advance to ‘Adding Value to the Pot’. In its most basic description, this is done by determining the pot odds, thereby knowing when to increase the pot size for added value.

Adding value to the pot is most often done on a good draw hand, preferably when enough players remain active in the hand. You’ll need a few opponents to make it worth your while because you will be making a minimal Raise.

A minimal raise invokes a call from most players, while a large raise will cause most, if not all, to fold. If most players fold, you’ve added very little value, but if not, you can ascertain a tidy stack of chips before it’s over.

As the pot grows, try to detect weakness in your opponents, especially if you’re still holding a draw hand. On the next round, you can raise high and scare everyone out, scooping all of the chips.

Let’s review…

Excellent opportunities to add value to the pot are straight draws and flush draws.

The need for a minimal raise is crucial on these kinds of hands. The idea is to risk as few chips as possible in an effort to increase the pot as much as possible.

Poker Strategy – Knowing When To Quit

When attempting to add value to the pot, you have to be disciplined enough to know when to quit. Since the idea is to keep several players active and calling a minimal bet/raise, should a large raise enter the mix, surrender the chips you’ve already tossed and get out now.

If all but one other player folds, staying in won’t add much value, so you must base your decision on whatever information you’ve collected bout the opponent. Remember there's no reason why you can't fold after a feeler bet. If he’s known to move forward with weak and/or draw hands, you may have a good chance of winning, or scaring him out with a big raise. If, however, he’s a tight player, you might as well cut your losses and fold the hand.

Remember, the object of any poker strategy, bet it Hold'em or Omaha strategy is this – maximize profits and decrease losses. Every move you make (or don’t make) should be based on achieving one or both of those goals.