Playing Texas Hold 'Em Poker: Playing The Flop And Overcards

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 26th, 2010

When playing limit Texas hold?em you can find yourself into some situations when on the flop you have nothing more but two over-cards. This happens because Texas hold?em limit is mostly a game of big cards. It is a common mistake when three players draw for an over-card and the draw is incorrect, and if this happens to you, then you should put it on the list of leaks in your game. The most common problem that happened when dealing with over-cards is the thing that you are hoping for a weak hand that will not make you the winner even if you manage to get that hand. In life not only in theory, this has happened many many times: players hit their hands but the hands are worthless and they still lose the pot, and also lose a great amount of money, the money they invested to hit that draw they now have. So there players sometimes win their hands, but in comparison to the times they have a hand but they lose with it, the percentage of winning is low and it doesn?t cover the expenses from the other games.

if you decide never to draw over-cards you will not have so much to lose. This is just a marginal decision and it is best, especially for beginners to simply fold those hands as soon as they see them. But if you really want to be a perfect player in the poker world, you cannot always fold the over-cards you will get on the flop. You must learn over time to read the perfect conditions to go and draw over cards in order to play a perfect game of poker.

Over-cards that don?t hold any additional perspective will have at the best 6 outs to make your hand better after the turn passes, meaning after the flop. So on the turn you can improve your hand and you have chances of about 13% to do that. Low chances if you come to think about it but sometimes it is worth to risk. You need very good pot odds to go on with your draw and the draw will also depend on other factors like:

- If you decide to draw against straights, two pairs and better obvious hands you are drawing just to lose some money.

- Keep in mind that one of the outs you are counting on can also help the opponents. They can get a flush, two pairs or a better hand essentially.

- Also the outs can get an opponent your exact hand but with a different kicker, a better one and you will lose in this case.

When you decide you must draw you have to evaluate it carefully and see if the hand you are drawing for is indeed the winning one justified by the pot odds.