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Posted inTechnical Skills
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The most important technical concept I have learned and used to much success is bet fold and raise fold. This is a concept that is lost to most recreational players. They are either not aware of or simply don’t understand. The basic premise is when betting in poker you are betting for two main reasons. You bey as a bluff or for value. The concept bet fold focuses on value betting and more importantly value betting thin. If you can properly grasp this concept of bet folding and raise folding it will drastically improve your win rate. Most opponents bet for value until the board gets scary, once this happens they take a check call line and show down there hand. If they are in position they check the river in fear of getting check raised off their hand. The correct way of thinking is to put your opponent on a range and to bet your hand for value even when board gets scary. If you are raised you can safely release your hand. If you are check raised on river when betting your hand for value you can safely release your hand. I have taken this type of line and have got three streets of value with top pair hands. Below is a hand I played at The Hawaiian Gardens Casino in southern California. 

I was playing 3-5 NL 300 min max buy in. The Effective Stacks at this point where about $600 I started the hand with a little over $600. 

Preflop: I raised Ad Kd UTG I got 4 callers utg +3, a middle position player, the button and the big blind. We see the flop 5 ways. pot was about $70 after rake.

Flop came out Ah Ts 6c rainbow. The big blind checks, I bet out $35 and got two callers the utg +3 player and the button. the pot is about $175

Turn was a Qd I bet out $75 utg+3 player called. but folded pot is about $325

River is a 4d I bet out $125 the Villain tank calls he shows AJ

Many players I have encountered either shut down on the turn or check call on the river. Both in my opinion are mistakes. When in these situations I always try to think of hands that can call me that I beat.

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