Correct play when you miss the flop?

Ok, I admit it – I’m a fish. And that’s why I need some help to improve my game. One situation where I feel uncomfortable and don’t know how to play, is when I miss the flop. And you more often miss the flop than hit something, right? Lets say I hold AJo in early position. I raise and get one caller. The flop comes f.ex Q 8 4 rainbow. What should I do now? What happens far to often is that I check, the other player raises – and I fold. Should I be raising after the flop on a hand like this? If so, what should I do on the turn if I get called? I understand that it depends on the situation and the other players, but should I follow some general guidelines in situations where I miss the flop?

you shouldnt be playing, let alone raising AJ that far out of position. It all depends on the texture of the flop though, if you raise preflop and get a caller feel free to take a stab at the pot on the flop, she's expecting you to anyway. Once you take control of a hand you should keep it I think. Bet out 2/3 of the pot if you get called go into check/fold mode if you arent comfortable with follow up bluffs, but by all means make a continuation bet on the flop.

Check out this link, good info:

http://www.twoplustwo.com/magazine/c...arris0405.html

This is a great question.

First off, some real things to think about.

As odd as it may seem, AJ is not a great hand when you are out of position in a ring game. I admit I play it every time in a tournament where there is blind pressure. But you really must be careful of this hand from early position in a 10 person ring game.

Next thing to consider is, who is the late caller? Is he a tight player that only calls raises when he has a strong hand? Is he someone that sees 50% of the flops regardless of any previous PF raise, but then folds post flop if he misses?

Next thing to consider, do you think the late caller has any impression of you; and if so, what is that impression? Many times, you will have no table image at low level tables because no one seems to be paying attention. But perhaps you have been at a table for a long time with the same people. Have you been going into less than 20% of the pots? Do you tend to win if there is a showdow? Or have you been raising into more than 30% of the pots, often going to showdown only to have the second best hand?

Next thing to consider, how much strength did your raise represent? You mentioned you raised, but did not say how much (I am assuming NL). Depending on your table image, or lack of one, a large opening bet was a sign of considerable strength; where a min raise is more a sign of having a decent hand and not wanting trash hands to see a free flop from the blinds. If your PF raise was large and you have a tight table image and the caller was not a tight player, then you are going to bet your AA pocket pair because the board is not scary (*wink*).

Next thing to consider, how much money is in the pot compared to the amount you and the caller have left? If your raise was small and both you and the caller have large stacks, then consider if this is really a pot worth pursuing. On the other hand, if you raised large and your stack is small compared to the pot, then you will have pot odds to see the river even if you missed the flop.

If the late caller is a tight player, you are likely beat. Check folding may save you money over a lot of hands. If the late caller is a loose cannon, and you have a decent table image, bet your hand like you made it. Looks like you opened with AQ and now have TPTK on a rainbow, no straight board. If the loose guy calls, then he probably hit something and has you beat. Play the Turn and River carefully, looking for reasons to fold more than reasons to stay.

I generally like to check because people will generally call with too much crap and it can get messy, occasionally when i decide that the guy behind me (there can only be one guy for this to work) is just making a continuation bet, i'll check raise bluff him.

I dont know about you guys, but where I play in the 6max $50NL games, if I raise PF, im betting 3/4 pot no matter what. The only times ill check after raising PF is if the flop looks like shit + 5 callers or ill just check so that I can checkraise bluff them and squeeze myself a couple extra bucks.

Those tightasses make it so easy to increase to $70 or so in the first few minutes. Plus all this betting and raising will get your real hands paid off a lot more often.

Mostly, it depends on the number of callers. If theres more than 3 and youre in early position its probably better to check. If theres 3 or less and youre in late position, then see if you can buy that pot.

fold hands like AJo and ATo in EP....

heads up garbage flop, bet

multiple opponents, check