When evaluating poker hands, it is important to keep in mind the following five principles:
1. The Flop
2. The Turn
3.
The River
4. Pot Odds
5. Pre-Flop Action.
The Flop
The first thing to consider on the Flop is the quality of the hands. Hands with high card values (Aces, Kings, Queens) are generally considered better than hands with low card values (two pair, three of a kind).
Hands with high card values are more likely to achieve a high point total and will be more likely to make a successful flop call or raise.
The second thing to consider on the Flop is whether any of the other players have opened up with strong hands. If one or more other players have opened up with strong hands, it may be better not to make a flop call or raise because those players will likely win the pot if they can get good cards.
In this case, it may be better to wait for later rounds of play in order to make a better decision about which hand to play.
The Turn
After evaluating the quality of the hands on the Flop, it is important to evaluate the turn-card status of each player. On the turn, any player can either: (1) continue playing their current hand; or (2) put another card into play (the turn-card).
Cards that can be put into play include: (1) a face card (J, Q, K), which gives an additional point value for that particular hand; and (2) any two cards that sum to a total of ten or more points. Generally speaking, cards that give an additional point value are more valuable than cards that don’t give an additional point value, so it is usually advantageous for a player to put a card into play that will give them an additional point value.
The third thing to consider on the Turn is whether any other players have put cards into play. If any other players have put cards into play, it may be wise for you to fold your current hand and wait for later rounds of play in order to make a better decision about which hand to play.
If no other players have put cards into play yet, then it may be wise for you to continue playing your current hand and see what kind of cards come up next on the Turn.
The River
After evaluating all of the turn-card status information and seeing what kind of cards have come up on the Turn so far, it is now time to evaluate how likely each player is going to win the pot if they keep playing their current hand. This evaluation is based on Pot Odds – which are simply the sum total of all player’s bet amounts minus any pre-flop raises or calls made so far in this particular round of poker tournament play.
The Pot Odds for each player becomes most important when deciding whether or not it is advantageous for you to continuation playing your current hand or whether you should fold your current hand and wait for later rounds of play in order to make a better decision about which hand to play.
