Poker Tactics - Flop Rules

There is a great misunderstanding about the strength of hole cards in Texas Hold'em.  There are many people who think a pair is great hand, even a pair of aces.  But this game is not about the best pair of cards.  You need to make the best hand out of all seven cards that you will see.

Players bet hard with a pocket pair, and then lose to a flush or a straight.

Sometimes players fold suited connectors and then watch the flop come up with a full house.  This is all within the 2.5 million card permutations and combinations.  Sometimes people bet on a hand and then fold it when there was a re-raise before the flop.  Well, if the hand was worth betting on then why would you fold before the flop.  You are simply handing your money to the more aggressive players.

Here is the reality.

The best hands before the flop become the worst risk gambling when the flop does not support it.  The riskiest hands before the flop, sometimes, become the best hands on the board and you can defeat the AA or the dreaded AK hands handily if they wish to bet hard.

So there is a simple rule to keep yourself to overbet bad cards:  flop out.  If you don't get enough of a good hand after the flop you should look to exit.  If you are playing good players, and that is likely then they will have their cards most times on the flop, or at least 4 of 5 for flushes and straights.  So if you don't make your cards on the flop you can conside any more raises as gambling.  And gambling has a less favorable outcome than  calculated bets.