Quote Originally Posted by stewartkev
I'm not sure if I understand what your getting at with point 2. I realise that I'll often get called with suited connectors, etc but surely if I have what I believe to be the best hand (i.e. top 2 pair, as above example) I should be making them pay big to hit their draw?
Yes, sorry, I should be more clear. I don't mind the play with the two pair at all. In fact I think it's perfect. I was referring the kings hand again. If you are in a pattern of pushing all in on the flop when you think you have the best hand, but are holding something that's actually not that great - like an overpair or top pair top kicker - you may be costing yourself money. Your ideal bets with those kinds of hands should be strong (to discourage drawing hands and get value for your hand) but not out of control. You want to give yourself the opportunity to bail out if need be. The perfect bet with most made hands is one that gives your opponents bad pot odds to draw, gives you value if your hand is best, and gives you information about your opponents' holdings. An all-in bet or any similar megabet (like 2-3x the pot) will do #1 certainly, but puts you in a bind with regard to #2 and #3. Specifically, you'll usually get folds from all but better hands, and the information you end up getting is where your chips are going next (hint: away from you).