Post Flop – Four Simple Questions to Ask Yourself.

Ok, so you’ve seen the flop, now what?

There are no black and white actions when making decisions post flop, but there are four essential questions you can ask yourself to help you make the best choice.

1. Does the flop help my hand?

Have you hit top pair, two pairs, three of a kind or even better? Has the flop come out with what we were hoping for pre-flop. Is there a strong chance of me having the strongest hand at showdown if my hand stays the same?

2. Has the flop helped my opponent?

After watching your opponents betting patterns/actions from earlier hands, is it likely that this flop has helped him? Have you put him on a range of hands? Is there a strong chance that this flop would have hit his hands? Is there a good possibility that he’ll think he’s ahead even if you have a much stronger hand?

3. Are there any draws on the flop?

Is there a possibility of a flush? If there are 3 cards of the same suit then someone might have hit a flush and have you beaten – be extremely cautious. If there are 2 cards of the same suit then someone could have a flush draw.

Is there a possibility of a straight? If all of the flop cards are close together there is a very high chance that someone has hit a straight or could only need 1 card to have you dominated.

In either of these situations you must bet big to make your opponent pay to see any more cards. Never allow someone on a draw to get a free card. If your opponent is very passive you can keep betting big and can get a big payoff from flops like this, just make sure to get out of there if you think your opponent has completed his draw.

4. Are you in the lead?

After answering the above questions you will have a much better idea of whether you’re in the lead after the flop. If you think that there’s a good chance you’re in front then make sure to bet, you want to extract as much money out of your opponent as possible. Letting him see free cards will only give him a chance to overtake your leading hand. You want to be building the pot if you’re ahead, and keeping the pot small if you think you’re behind. Keep it simple.

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