Poker Lesson 7: How to Play Draws

In the article on flop play I advocated an aggressive playing style with made hands. The advice was to bet and raise in order to get more money in the pot, to give ourselves the chance of winning a big pot. But what about draws then?

The first issue is whether to semi-bluff or to just call/check.

A semi-bluff is when we have nothing but a draw but bet anyway. We bet in order to give us a chance to pick up the pot uncontested, but if we get called, we have a decent chance of improving our hand.

A very good time to semi-bluff is when we have raised preflop and flopped a draw. Remember what we learned about continuation bets? When having raised preflop and flopped a draw, it is a good time to make a continuation bet in order to give us the chance to pick up the pot right there. If we get called and hit our draw, our opponents will have a hard time putting us on a flush or a straight, and we have a good chance of getting paid.

Another good semi-bluff situation is when we are in late position, and no one has bet on the flop. We can assume that our opponents that have acted before us likely do not have a great hand, increasing the chances for a successful semi-bluff. If they check-raise us, we can fold, unless getting correct odds for making a call. But a lot of the time, the pot will be ours.

A bad time to semi-bluff is when we are in early position. Let us assume that we called preflop with 98 suited in early position, and the flop has come K76. We do at this point have very little information on what types of hands our opponents hold. We should instead check and see what our opponents do. If they bet, we can then decide if we get a good price for calling when it is our turn again. Semi-bluffing in early position is rarely a good idea.

Another bad time to semi-bluff is in multi-way pots. If we are heads-up or three-handed going to the flop, the chance of the other players having missed the flop are high enough for us to semi-bluff, however, if there are four or five players in the hand, chances are that at least one of them will have hit the flop.

What do we do if we have a bet in front of us? Most of the time, we look at our pot odds and implied odds and decide whether or not a call is profitable. If it is, we call. However, if the other player is a bluffer who is trying to steal a lot of pots, we might try a re-raise semi-bluff, but do not do this if there are a lot of players after you still to act. Semi-bluffing against a raise is not a good move if we do not have position and a good read of our opponents playing style.

We should play our draws with selective aggression. Aggression where aggression is due, but not overly aggressive. Playing draws too aggressively over a prolonged period of time will lead to the loss of a lot of hard-earned money. Our goal is to play our draws profitably, not to be the cool kid who keeps on bluffing his money away.

If we flop a 12 or 15 out draw however, we should play it hard. These draws are very good on the flop, and we do not mind getting all of our money in the middle with a draw like this. These draws are good enough to bet regardless of position, and if there is a bet in front of us, we should make a healthy re-raise. Should we get called or get it all-in, we often have at least a 50% chance of winning anyway.

Be careful with draws if the board is paired. For example, drawing to a straight or a flush on a 988 board might become an expensive endeavor because someone may already have the full house. If we make our hand, we will not be sure that it is the best hand, because the card giving us the straight or flush might give our opponent a full house. Also be careful with straight draws on boards containing two of the same suit. While we are drawing to our straight, someone else might be on a flush draw. If we make a straight but at the same time a third flush card lands, proceed with care.

So, in general – selective aggression is the key. As we play more poker and get more experienced, we will learn to recognize profitable situations. We will develop our gut feeling and our ability to read the board texture and the betting patterns of our opponents, but the only way to get really good at poker is by training. This applies to all aspects of the game, but it is most clearly notable when playing draws.

Some final words, draws are hard to play, especially out of position. Even expert players encounter problems with draws, so we must not be surprised if progress is a bit awkward at first. However, do keep these pointers in mind while developing your gameplay and honing your poker skills.