Four Tips For Playing The River

Don't miss one article! Subscribe to the Full Feed RSS or get NPA in your inbox.

I think the average $1-$2 and $2-$5 live no-limit player plays worse on the river than on any other street. Partly this is because the bets on the river are large, so mistakes get magnified. But it’s also because most players approach river play with a philosophy that is fundamentally flawed.

Most players are far too passive on the river. They check good hands they should bet for value, and they check busted draws they should bluff. This general passivity causes problems in other areas of their river game. When they do bet, there are often only a few things they could have, and therefore the bet becomes simple to respond to. And because they don’t bet often enough, they leave opportunities for more perceptive opponents to win with weak hands at showdown and to steal more than their share of pots.

Here are four tips for playing the river that will make you a tougher opponent and a more profitable player.

Tip 1. Don’t pay players off who bet all three streets.

Most players are too passive on the river. Betting all three streets with a weak hand is a very aggressive line. Many players, therefore, almost never bet all three streets without a near lock.

If someone bets all three streets in a live small stakes game, in my experience the most common hands he will have are a set, a flush or straight draw that improved on the turn, or two pair that improved to a full house. Players often check the turn if their draw doesn’t improve, and they often check the river if their two pair doesn’t improve.

Commonly, I’ll see one player bet the flop and turn and another player with top pair will call. On the river the first player will bet again. In most cases, the player with top pair should fold. Many players do indeed fold, but I also frequently see the player with top pair pay off. At showdown, the bettor will almost always show one of the hands I listed, and the caller will nod I knew it and muck.

Don’t pay off players who bet all three streets.

 Print :: Trackback :: Respond ::