Defending a weak hand postflop in Texas Hold’em

Bob
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Posted on: May 21, 2020 6:22 pm EDT

If you’re going to stay in the game with a weak hand after seeing the flop, be prepared to up the strategy

The game of Texas Hold’em has an important component that can’t be controlled, which is luck. Sometimes the strategy can be right, but the cards do not play in your favor; therefore, knowing how to defend a weak hand is also important in the game. More specifically, how to approach a postflop play after defending a weak hand when you have the big blind. These tips can help you avoid being crushed by your opponents when you are approaching post-flop with a lower hand than expected.

First, if the flop did not play in your favor, you don’t have a reason to feel forced to check-call every time you are defending a weak hand. The decision that you make on each betting round is independent of one another; each street can bring something else to the table that you need to consider – folding might be the most sensible decision in most cases.

Another thing to consider is to be careful not to over-bluff at times when your range has multiple draws and odds. Here, it becomes important to categorize those draws, or else your opponent can take advantage of that by calling you light. Also, remember that every time you check-fold a draw, it is, potentially, a wasted opportunity.

If you decide to continue with the hand, make sure that you don’t end up folding too often at the river because it could affect your calling ranges. This is a common mistake among both professional and amateur players. Therefore, there are two ways to approach this scenario: one is slow-playing more strong hands on the flop and turn to compensate – this means check-calling with some strong hands-on earlier streets. Second, calling down more often can also boost your win-rate significantly, so, if you make a lot of big folds on the river, this is another way to make up for the losses.