How do you put people on....

over cards? A very common occurance is that I will get a mid pair limp in or call a small raise and see a flop heads up. Lets say I have 88 and the flop is 249 rainbow. I usually fold to aggression here but I know when I have AK AQ etc and raise pre flop I usually throw in a continuation bet on the flop. What are your strats for putting people on overs instead of an overpair. Reading the boards I have read where Fnord or Ilike aces has said "it was obvious he had AK" Please explain how it is obvious or what a common betting pattern is that gives away overs. I bet that detecting this and putting in a nice reraise must win a bunch o cash if you can put them on overs and not an overpair. Any thoughts are appreciated. Even yours rilla.

A lot of times with that flop HU you're gonna have the best hand. How does he play his overcards? overpairs?

A good player will bet unimproved overcards just as they would an overpair, which reduces any attempt at "reading" to pure guesswork (unless, of course, they always bet on the flop if they have either, in which case it's statistically more likely that they simply have overcards when they make a continuation bet).

Otherwise, try to find patterns. There doesn't seem to be any special answer to this, just find some pattern in the player's betting. Does he bet small with unimproved overcards in comparison to an overpair? Does he overbet the pot? If he is called on the flop, does tend to continue bluffing on the turn, or does he slow down?

One important factor in the decision is what position is the player in. Lots of players will only raise from early postion with high pocket pairs or AK. If an early player bets from early position and contiues the bet with that board I would fold. He likely has AA,KK,QQ, or JJ. The only overcards he would have would be AK.

Another important factor is the player himself. If he has both a slightly high pfr% and a high VPIP but not excesively high and he is raising from late position then I think its more likely that he has an overpair. You would probably raise if you had 88 if you felt he would fold. This type of player is raises with A10 or AJ from late position with few limpers but is not likely to raise with 56 suited. This player will also fold to aggression. Raise him 3x pot.

Another thing you want to look for are betting patterns. Some players will bet a certain sized bet when feel strong and another sized bet when they feel weak. If you notice that a player will make a slightly larger than pot-sized bet when they miss and a 1/2 sized to 3/4 sized pot when they have a great hand then you have him. However, some players bet weak when they are weak and some players bet strong when they are weak so this pattern is player specific.