CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

PRE- AND POSTFLOP MISTAKES

“
The most important decisions come later in the hand
when the pot gets bigger.
“

MASTE RCL ASS

pre- and postflop mistakes

SUBCHAPTERS

• PREFLOP MISTAKES: LIMPING IN • POSTFLOP MISTAKES: GETTING • THE MORE RAISING THAT
ATTACHED TO PREMIUM HANDS HAPPENS, THE STRONGER YOUR
• HEADS-UP POSTFLOP MISTAKES: HAND NEEDS TO BE
FOLDING TOO OFTEN • RIVER MISTAKES: CALLING TOO
OFTEN AND MISSING VALUE • DON’T FALL PREY TO REVERSE
IMPLIED ODDS

TERMS

backdoor draw (n.): When kicker (n.): The remaining hole limp in (v.): To enter the pot
you have no draw on the flop but the turn card that does not hit the board when before the flop by simply matching the
card can potentially give you one. you make a one-pair hand (except pocket big blind’s bet, rather than raising.
pairs).
cold call (v.): To call a single reverse implied odds
preflop raise. (n.): When you stand to lose money if
you hit your draw.

CHAPTER REVIEW

hile both preflop and postflop strategy heads-up situation because your opponents will c-bet a
W are critical to your success as a poker player, post-
flop decisions have a much greater impact on your win
wide range, meaning that you must also continue with a
wide range yourself. Often, ace-high will be the best hand
rate. Both tight and loose preflop strategies are equally on the flop, and if you have a backdoor draw you can pick
valid, but how well you perform postflop will dictate the up additional equity on the turn, which might offer a bluff
level of success you achieve. This is because the pot size opportunity to steal the pot. For example, if you call a
grows geometrically toward later streets where mistakes c-bet with on a flop you might
are amplified with the bigger bet sizes. pick up a flush draw on the turn—and you might have the
best hand some of the time.
Limping in to see many flops is a common mistake among
beginners. These players end up playing far too many Another common mistake seen in low-stakes games is
hands, without taking position into account, which is a when players get too attached to overpairs on dangerous
losing strategy overall. Raising all of your range preflop boards. The range of hands that players cold call a preflop
makes you a much tougher player for your opponents to raise with gives them an advantage on draw-heavy boards
face, and this strategy also allows you to win pots without because, in a typical opening range, earlier position opens
a fight. have less speculative hands that hit these flops. Hands
such as pocket aces go down in value in this situation,
Folding too often in heads-up situations is a common and you must play a more conservative strategy to avoid
mistake that improving players frequently make. You putting too many chips in the pot with what is still only a
must be prepared to calls bets with weak hands in a one-pair hand.

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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN / PRE- AND POSTFLOP MISTAKES / DANIEL NEGREANU

You must take extra care with river situations, as the pot Reverse implied odds are where you stand to lose money
is usually big if there was betting on every street. A player postflop even when you make your hand, in comparison
who bets on the river will usually have a strong hand, and to implied odds where you stand to win more. Reverse
you are open to a big mistake if you misread their range implied odds apply the further away from the nuts you
and call with a medium-strength hand. This concept also are—for example, if you are considering calling large bets
applies to value betting. The profit from having your big with a small straight draw when a flush and full house are
river bets called is important to your win rate. Missing possible. While making a small straight draw might be a
these opportunities will heavily impact your profit. The winning proposition in some cases, if lots of chips go into
ranges that appear in these situations get stronger with the pot you will almost certainly be up against a better
the more raises that happen throughout the hand. You hand. Implied odds and reverse implied odds always apply
must adjust your strategy to take this into account as the when there are more streets to play.
pot grows in order to avoid paying off your opponent with
a weaker hand.

UP YOUR GAME

Review hands where you lost your entire stack with Read this summary of reverse implied odds to augment
an overpair and the chips didn’t go in preflop. Losing too your knowledge. This will improve your understanding of
many chips with a one-pair hand will severely impact your when a draw is a losing proposition. Then study situations
win rate, and you must learn when to get out of the pot where reverse implied odds apply. For example: When facing
in such situations. Watching Twitch.tv, look for hands a three-bet preflop with a hand such as . If you
where the player folds their overpair postflop because of call and make one pair, you are likely to have a worse
aggression from their opponent. Use your learnings to kicker when your opponent is betting. This is the opposite
improve your handling of overpairs. of implied odds where you expect to have the best hand if
you hit. Another example: Pocket nines facing a three-bet
Review hands where you either called a river continu- of a few hundred big blinds with only your three big blind
ation bet and lost, or failed to bet the river and won. River raises and the blinds in the pot already. Here the risk-to-
continuation bets usually indicate a strong range and reward ratio is too bad to continue with even a call to see a
calling too lightly is a mistake. If you fail to bet the river flop, especially if your stack is deep enough.
in situations where you had the best hand, you are missing
out on too much value and must bet for value more
aggressively.

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