"Betting only when you will be called by worse"

[Mook]

In limit, at least, the principle of "you'll only get called when you're beat" is most often seen on the river when the flop offered one or more draws that didn't come in, and you're holding a very marginal hand.

Example, you raise from EP with [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]Q and get only the button to call. The flop comes 10-high with two clubs; you bet and are called.

Turn is a blank non-club, you bet again (usually reasonable in this spot) and get called again.

If the river is another blank, there's almost always no point in betting your unimproved AQ again. Either your opponent was drawing to a club flush and will throw his hand away when you bet (earning you nothing additional), or he caught a pair at some point and will almost certainly call, even with hands that he wouldn't have bet himself (e.g. third pair, Queen kicker). Every time you do this, you cost yourself 1 BB with no potential upside when he calls with a hand he wouldn't have bet himself.

SSHE has an entire section on this (beginning on p.193) - another point they make well is that it's most important to avoid value-betting even decent hands against tighter players on the river, since you'll almost never win when they call. Loose players, by contrast, will often call down with some atrocious holdings, so you can widen your range of river value bets (though in my example above I'd never bet the river, no matter how bad a calling station the button was).

Mook

[Gonso]

There was a 7Stud example in ToP IIRC:

Say your four upcards were JJJJ for quads on 7th street. Even as strong as it is, if you bet, you will get no value from it since he just wont call.

The only exception is if he has a freak hand that is ahead of you (which he'll raise with in that case). So again betting is an -EV play... you will lose a little only occasionally, but you will never gain anything.

Sometimes you will be in very close spots, and you'll shoot yourself in the foot making thin value bets, but that's a balancing act for even experienced players. Good topic to spend some time on though.

[Mischman]

WPT example. Best i can remember it

The board was 3 flushed and had a 4 card straight on it. Player A made a bet and Player made a big all in raise.

Player A did have the flush and player B did have the straight. Mike sexton commented on only getting called if youre beat there. The guy wasnt going to bet/call there with 2 pair or anything. There was no point in raising because he wouldnt get called by any hands that were worse than a straight.

Hope that helps

[Yepitis]

It also depends on if you want to show your hand or see their hand. Personally I hate showing my hand, if this is good or bad in the long run is up for discussion I suppose.

[Taso]

[ QUOTE ]
There was a 7Stud example in ToP IIRC:

Say your four upcards were JJJJ for quads on 7th street. Even as strong as it is, if you bet, you will get no value from it since he just wont call.

The only exception is if he has a freak hand that is ahead of you (which he'll raise with in that case). So again betting is an -EV play... you will lose a little only occasionally, but you will never gain anything.

Sometimes you will be in very close spots, and you'll shoot yourself in the foot making thin value bets, but that's a balancing act for even experienced players. Good topic to spend some time on though.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd disagree with this example, just on the little technicality that a player may mis-read your hand, may not be paying attention, etc. There is no point in not betting it, unless maybe your opponnent has AAAA showing, or 4567s showing.

[RustyBrooks]

Yeah, you should bet because he might misclick and call.