Using Your Position Part 2 - The Flop

This is the second part of a four part series on how to use your positional advantage throughout each stage of a poker hand. You can find Part 1 here and Parts 3 and 4 here and here.

The essential advantage of being in position is having more information, but there are specific strategies to use that extra information on the flop. The most common of these strategies is the continuation bet, which has been covered in more detail here. Basically, if you have position and your opponent(s) check to you, you will often be able to win the pot with a bet, even when you have nothing. In order to counter this strategy when you are out of position you must check-raise with some regularity, or else consistent value betting will kill you. You should continue bet regularly in position and check-raise the flop regularly out of position.

There are also occasionally situations where you might choose not to continuation bet. Let’s say you’re playing Limit Hold’em and hold pocket sevens. Four players see the flop and you have the best position. The flop is KJ10, a horrible flop for you. However, if everyone checks to you, either trying to check-raise or afraid you have a very strong hand, you can check behind and see the turn card for free. Every once in a while it’s a 7, and a hand that you would have had to fold were you not in position, may now win you a good-sized pot. Being able to continuation bet is big advantage, but there’s also an advantage to being able to choose not to continuation bet. The opportunity to check behind is an advantage of position that is often overlooked.

Another good positional strategy for the flop is the free card play . The free card play is a raise with the purpose of giving yourself the option of checking behind on the turn and thereby seeing the river card for free. Let’s say you’re playing Limit Hold’em again and flop a flush draw. An opponent bets and you suspect him of having top pair, probably with a weak kicker (he called from the big blind). You could call on the flop, planning to call again on the turn if you miss, or, you could raise on the flop. If you do choose to raise and you hit, you’ve gotten another small bet in, and more importantly, if you miss, you will not have to pay a big bet on the turn. You can use the free card play against passive players even when you have a mediocre made hand: If you have second pair and suspect your opponent probably has top pair (but are not sure enough to fold) you can raise the flop and check behind the turn. It will end up saving you one small bet, and your opponent may even check the river as well, saving you three small bets.