A concept that has been caught on by many an expert poker player is this – buy placing a smaller, well-thought-blocking bet into your pot once the river card has been revealed, you can save money.
The basic principle behind the concept is that when you think you may have the best hand, you place a smaller bet in the hope that your opponent will only call your action. This helps prevent you from placing too many chips into the pot based simply on a feeling that you have the best hand.
If ever, during poker, you have a doubt of the strength of your hand, it is always best to play it safe than to take the risk of losing.
A blocking bet is also referred to as a protection or information bet. This means that you are able to gain valuable information from your opponent’s action after your bet.
If your opponent calls your block bet, you have the chance of winning the hand. If your opponent chooses to raise, they are indicating to you that they have a strong hand. This would probably be a good time to lay your hand down, and you will still have saved yourself chips should you lose.
In poker, your success depends on your ability to limit your opponent’s choices. There is no hard and fast rule that states players who feel that they are holding the strongest hand are within play, so you need to hold off doing so unless you know you have the strongest hand.
All you as a player have to do is take a moment to think about your opponent’s next move to increase the value of the pot, and ultimately your winnings.
Author bio
This article was written for All Africa Poker and offers poker tips on block betting in poker.