Poker Tips

Introduction

If you think it must surely be too good to be true that you can get something for nothing in poker – you’d be wrong and you need to learn about playing free cards. A free card in poker is precisely as it sounds – a card you can get without placing a bet. In draw poker games getting a free card, or even several cards, is quite normal if someone’s hand is checked before the draw. So, when we talk about the idea of free cards in poker, we’re really talking about stud or hold ‘em games that have several rounds of betting.

A time for giving free cards

 The basis on which you will most likely give a free card is if you check your hand, meaning that if it’s your turn to bet and with no action in front of you – you too decide not to bet, you will be giving a free card. The other occasion when you could be giving a free card is if you check, but with the intention of raising and your opponent doesn’t oblige you by placing a bet against you. Of course you don’t want to simply give away a free card to your opponents and so you should know, or at least be very sure, in advance that you really have got the best hand on the table. So before thinking about whether or not to give away free cards take stock as to how large the pot is. If you deem it to be a large or even a medium size pot, the advice would be – don’t give away any free cards, even if you’re almost positive that your opponent will fold. The reason is quite simple really, with a large pot and the surety of the best hand, you really want your opponent to fold following your bet.

A time for receiving free cards

 So, not too surprisingly you want to avoid giving away free cards, but receiving free cards is quite the opposite. Receiving a free card when you don’t have the best hand can be really valuable to you, turning a hand you might have folded with into one that could prove to be the winner or at least save you a bet, on a hand that you might have been tempted to call anyway. Needless to say, the better your opponents are the more difficult it will be for you to get any free cards, as they too will know all the ins and outs of free card play. To tempt experienced poker players into giving you a free card you can always try raising by a small amount early in a round and hope that on the next round they check around to you. To get your free card all you then need to do is check as well. Obviously you need to be confident that you will be acting after your opponents in the next round. Therefore, this tactic is best applied to hold ‘em games, where the betting order is always fixed by the position of the dealer. Also, against less experienced or less observant players, there are some tricks you can play to try and get a free card. By betting out of turn you could make your opponent check. (You now know the next play they’re likely to make.) Apologize for betting out of turn, take back your bet and let them play, when they then check – then immediately check yourself. Another ploy is to take some chips from your stack, ahead of your turn to bet, as if you’re going to raise. If your opponent then decides not to bet, all you’ve got to do is check yourself for the free card to come your way. Are these tactics legal, yes they are – are the ethical, yes well? So you might want to consider how much you value your reputation as a poker player over winning a free card, even against inexperienced players this sort of tricks will only work once or at best twice. You might also want to size up how volatile your opponents are before trying these sorts of tricks!

Marginal hand free cards

 You’ve already been told to only give away a free card if you’re on a dead certainty to win the hand and for a big pot at that. However, is there a time that you might consider giving a free card on a marginal hand, or presuming the other players are as experienced as you with free card play – what are your chances of getting a free card on a marginal hand? Basically we’re talking here about situations in which you think you have the best hand but lack that edge of certainty, and how many times do we find ourselves there? So your hand might be the best but you know if you are beaten you’ll be called. Your dilemma is that if you have got the best hand your bet needs to be the correct one to avoid your opponent being able to outdraw you with a free shot. You need to weigh up your chances of having that best hand, the size of the pot, your chance of outdrawing a better hand that calls you and if the next card could give your opponent the best hand after all, when they might fold if you had made a bet. Even with a moderately large pot and the risk of your opponent outdrawing you – place a bet yourself.

Two players and free cards

If it comes down to just you and one opponent always remember that the player acting first cannot get a free card, so if that’s you all you’ll do is effectively give your opponent an free card by checking rather than betting. If you’re the second player and your opponent checks you, then if you’re confident you have the best hand – place a bet. However, if you’re not too sure how good your hand is, simply check yourself and get that free card. Playing first you have to balance the risk between giving an opponent a free card and betting on a hand that, under other circumstances, you probably wouldn’t bother with.