Playing The River In Texas Hold'em

Strategy for playing the river in Texas Hold'em often gets brushed under the carpet, as many newer players simply disregard the importance of good knowledge on how to play the river.

However, the river should be treated with the same respect as any other betting round, so it's important that you are able to play it with confidence.

Good river strategy comes with plenty of practice, and a lot of valuable experience will come from watching how your opponents play up to that point and trying to work out what they hold. Nonetheless, here are a few quick pointers on essential strategy for playing the river.

Playing on the river

You should have more information on your opponents on the river than you would on any other betting round. If you don't, then you really need to start paying attention to the way your opponent plays before the flop, on the flop and on the turn to help you form a stronger idea of what they might be holding.

The more accurately you can place your opponent on a hand, the easier it is going to be for you to play the river. Always try your best to consider all of the plays that have taken place in the hand as you play through it, as it will really help with making that final decision on the river.

Bet sizing on the river

Let's assume that you make it to the river and you are confident that you have the best hand. The action is now on you... how much are you going to bet?A common mistake that many players make on the river is betting too small. It seems like a good idea to throw a tiny bet out there that is begging to be called to help squeeze some extra money out of your opponent, but it's not necessarily the most profitable way to play over the long run.

For example, lets say you either bet $15 or $1 into a $15 with your winning hand on the river. It's true to say that your $15 will be called less often, but it can still make more money than that $1 bet.

• If your $15 gets called 1 time out of 10, you make $15
• If your $1 gets called 10 times out of 10, you make $10

Sure, your opponent will fold more often with that $15 bet, but you are still winning more money. Playing profitable Poker is not about small victories to make you feel good, it's about getting the most from your winning hands over the long run.

Bluffing on the river

Far too many amateur players make the mistake of bluffing on the river. Whilst bluffing on the river is not always a bad play, it is just that many players throw caution to the wind when using bluffs at this stage of the hand, without fully considering whether the bluff is likely to work or not.

If you have been playing quite weakly up to the river and then come out with an obscure bet or raise, it may well look like an obvious bluff. The next time you think about bluffing the river, ask yourself "does this look like a convincing bet?

"All too often players will throw a bluff out onto the river as a last ditch attempt to win the hand, without fully thinking about how effective it might be. Throwing wild bluffs around is pure gambling, and you may as well play high stakes blackjack if you are taking this sort of approach to Poker. If in doubt, you're better off checking and not risking any money unnecessarily.

Betting marginal hands

.One of the biggest mistakes you can ever make in Texas Hold'em is betting with a marginal hand on the river. If you are not sure whether or not you have the best hand, a bet will yield two useless results:

• An opponent with a worse hand than yours will fold
• An opponent with a better hand that you will call.

As you can see, there are no advantages to betting with a marginal hand on the river. The best plan of action is to always check every time you have a hand that could easily be a loser or a winner.

By checking, you are giving your opponent the opportunity to bluff if you are out of position, which is better than betting and watching them fold the worst hand.

Betting vs. Check raising with a strong hand

You are sure that you have the best hand on the river and you are first to act. Do you bet out or check with the hope that you can check-raise your opponent?

The majority of the time, betting out is going to yield greater rewards than shooting for the check raise when you are first to act. Your opponent isn't going to bet out as often as you might hope (they will be playing it safe), and even when they do, the chances are that they are not going to call your check raise anyway.

The only time that I would possibly go for the check-raise is when I am up against an aggressive opponent that I believe has missed a possible straight or flush draw, which gives them the opportunity to bluff. Other than that however, I'm usually going to be the one to bet out first.