In the Money

The River

From In The Money: Strategies for Winning Texas Hold'em Cash Games by Antonio "the Magician" Esfandiari

Okay, so you made it to the river. All the cards are on the table. There is no more chance for improvement. There is one more round of betting to get to before you get to the showdown. What are the considerations here?

First, do you have the best hand here? If you think you have the best hand, then the goal is to maximize your profit. You want to value-bet. If you are first to act, then you should typically bet out. In no-limit play, you will want to bet the amount that you think your opponent will likely call. What that amount is will depend on the read of your opponent. An experienced opponent may actually call a bigger bet than a smaller one, since he may put you on a steal with the bigger bet. The only time you would not want to bet out on the river with the best hand is if you are fairly certain your opponent will bet if you check to him. If that is the case, then go ahead and check-raise in order to extract an extra bet from your opponent.

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In The Money