No Limit Texas Holdem strategy – After the river

In this situation it helps to read hands. You should analyze your opponent’s actions throughout the preflop to the river, and try to figure out what his hand is.

If someone who played very aggressively until the river, and checks even though the river card was a trash card, it could be a trap. If he played very passively and suddenly bets with no river card that can explain it, it could be a bluff.

Just remember, the better your opponent, the harder it will be to read his hand.

Don’t bet with a mediocre hand. These hands are usually paid or raised by better hands, and are not called by worse hands. Taking this into consideration, you should understand that if a good player bets after the river, his hand is either great or trash. Try to figure out which one by analyzing his previous moves. If you are given the opportunity to go for a showdown without putting extra money in the pot, take this opportunity gladly. The moment of the showdown (when players reveal their hands) is very excited, many players are calling a large bet after the river just because they ‘must’ see their opponents’ hand and don’t want to be bluffed. You must accept the fact that you will get bluffed sometimes. Don’t call a bet when you’re almost sure beaten. When you are thinking about be careful also when you are not the last one to act.