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Playing draws in limit hold'em is where most players
make their biggest mistakes. It's much more difficult to make a mistake
when playing a made hand, as the board and your opponents' betting will
often give you more than enough information to make a good laydown - if
the pot isn't already large enough to justify sticking around until the
river card in the first place, that is. On a draw, however, many players
routinely ignore the one factor that should make all their decisions for
them: pot odds. If you chase draws without pot odds, you'll find it very
hard to be a consistent limit hold'em winner.
Because the bet sizes are fixed, limit hold'em rewards the players who
make correct decisions most often. That means that laying down hands you
shouldn't be chasing - and continuing to play draws when you have the
proper odds - are two key skills to master if you want to be a consistent
winner. However, you don't have to be passive with your drawing hands,
simply hoping you hit. You can manipulate the pot odds you're getting by
betting out, raising, or check-raising, depending on the particular
situation. Such aggression will give you information in addition to
manipulating your odds: it will put your opponents on the defensive if
they aren't particularly strong in a given hand, and it will let you know
very quickly if your opponent has a true monster hand when you get raised
or re-raised.
There are some particular tactics that can aid you in achieving your goal
of making proper decisions when playing your limit hold'em draws. One of
the most valuable tools in your arsenal when you're drawing is the
semi-bluff. If you've flopped an open-ended straight draw or a flush draw
in the blinds or in early position in a multi-way pot, leading out
immediately can often build a pot big enough to give you good odds for
continuing on after the turn. This is especially true if your table is
full of passive players and a player in late position raised before the
flop - more often than not, the majority of those passive players between
you and the pre-flop raiser will call if they hold any pair, leaving a lot
of money in the middle. When you are playing a draw in a smaller pot -
say, 3-way - you'll have to be more willing to let juicy draws go when the
situation dictates doing so.
Drawing hands are obviously the most valuable when you're in position and
can see all the action in front of you. However, you'll sometimes pick up
a very good draw in early position. Check-raising can be a valuable tool
in such situations. When you find yourself hold the nut flush draw with
two overcards to the board, for instance, a check-raise can give you good
odds for your draws as well as giving you a chance to win the pot by
betting out on the turn. If you're out of position against a pre-flop
raiser whom you know to be a bluffer, letting him take the lead again
after you flop a solid draw and then check-raising when the action returns
to you can often win the pot on the flop - and even when it doesn't,
you've got odds to try and hit your draw.
One final note: the differences between a straight draw and a flush draw
shouldn't be ignored. The flush draw gives you an extra out over an
open-ended or double gutshot straight draw, but it's also usually much
more obvious when you hit it unless you are a master of deceptive play.
Straight draws, while more disguised, are also more vulnerable because
they can be beaten by any two suited cards. It's important to take these
factors into consideration when deciding how to play your draw.
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