[jesse8888]

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I'd like to hear your idea of value betting. I am reading SSHE right now and I'm interested in everyone's take on it.

However, I'm curious as to why you think I have no idea of starting hand values because I lost with AK vs A2o after flopping top two?

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Value betting on the river simply means making a bet the river that will show a profit in the long run. If you bet heads up in position, three things can happen:

1. Your opponent can fold. You took a risk for zero gain.
2. Your opponent can call. Sometimes you will win, sometimes you will lose.
3. Your opponent will check/raise. Depending on what you do, you will have either lost 1 or 2 bets or won 2 when the alternative was to lose zero. Or of course you can 3 bet him.....

In a simple example, suppose you are 75% to win the hand against your opponents range. If you bet, your opponent will call 25% of the time, fold 50% of the time, and raise 25% of the time. If he raises, you have decided you will call, but against his raising range you are only 10% to win. If he flat calls, you are 100% to win. So your bet looks like this:

25% = you win 1 bet
50% = you win nothing
22.5% = you lose 2 bets
2.5% = you win 2 bets.

As you can see, even though you were winning 75% of the time, your bet is a losing proposition.

As for starting hand values....No one has suggested you do not understand the value of AK. It has been suggested, however, that you do not properly value some hands like QTs and pocket 7s and that you should get a little more gamboooool in you when the odds are slightly in your favor.

Hope this helps.