Small Stakes No-Limit Hold'em

Daniel said:

Hi,

What is the best way to bet on the flop when we have top pair, two pairs or a set, and there are two cards to a flush draw against one opponent?

I mean in which cases can I bet less than half the pot, risking to allow the opponent to draw profitably? I guess we should sometimes do that to balance our play, but are there special conditions for which it's better to do that?

If I'am using a betting strategy where I'll always bet two thirds or more of the pot or check on the flop, then should I make smaller bets also sometimes? Is it an expensive strategy?

Daniel

As with any poker strategy discussion, it depends on the situation. Generally speaking, I bet 2/3 of the pot on the flop. But you can adjust that up or down to your opponent. For example, if you are stealing with a c-bet flop bluff, against a tight player, you can try betting just half the pot, they may fold often regardless of your bet size, and when they do call or raise you, you lose less $$.

Against a calling station, with a good hand, you may want to bet 3/4 or full pot, they will often call, so you can bet larger. Also, if it's a draw heavy flop, and you have say top pair, a larger bet 3/4 to pot size bet may be in order, so your opponent will be getting bad pot odds to call with a draw.

The key is to experiment, and adjust to your opponent's tendencies, but 2/3 of the pot is a good default bet size for the flop.