What is a value bet in poker? Value Bet in poker - how to get maximum profit in winning situations. Thin value preflop

A value bet in poker is a bet made by a player with strong cards to get a call from an opponent with weaker cards.

A contribution to value is considered to be any bet that replenishes the pot in a hand where one of the opponents with strong cards increases by calling the remaining players who lose to a strong combination in the final hand.

Value betting is an important and significant technique that is included in many gaming and tactical maneuvers. When used correctly, it becomes a way to take possession of the main value of each game - the bank.

Despite the favorable and promising description, many players, even quite experienced ones, are afraid to make this bet. And although 90% of players are unlikely to name the reason for their fears, this trend has persisted for a long time. Analyzing the reasons for the appearance of fear will allow you to overcome it and take the game to a new level.

Reasons for fear of value beta

The result of such fear is a refusal to do so, when everything suggests that it will bring the expected result. Not only beginners refuse to take risks, but also sophisticated players who have done this more than once and received significant pots as a reward.

Players of various levels and experience interviewed as part of the compilation of the material state that refusal is a consequence of playing carefully. But is this caution or an attempt to refuse responsibility for fear that deprives the opportunity to earn money?

Value bet is an opportunity to increase your stack, deposit and performance in the game. Calling caution to ignore an adequate chance to increase capital is incorrect. This is an outright mistake of the poker player, which costs him a lot.

Poker pros say that situations in which a player does not value bet on the river may lead to such a player joining the ranks of poker losers.

Participants in the distribution are not able to assess their chances of winning the distribution or the event in general. But this is a key skill, without which there will be no place in high-stakes games. Every poker player should be able to evaluate their strengths and achievements of their goals. It turns out that more prudent players who analyze the potential have an advantage that makes taking over the bank more likely.

The following situation arises when players who calculate the future, at least sometimes, get results from a value bet, and the rest, out of fear of losing, do not even try and lose every time.

The key factor that constrains the player and does not allow him to earn a serious bank is constraint. Regular repetition of this mistake will lead to the fact that there will be much more defeats than victories and will melt away like smoke.

For those. who does not want to leave poker after hard practice and studying its intricacies, being disappointed and lack of results, a few tips will be useful:

• Calculate the potential of each action;
• Study the rules of the competition or event in order to prepare theoretically;
• Make the contributions you need when you need them, without fear.

These are the immutable rules of competent play, following which a poker player can achieve results. A value bet is a risky move, but in a situation where the chances of its implementation are as high as possible, the bank received from it will be the envy of the bank.

Key Concepts

Competent implementation of opportunities in poker requires a willingness to use various techniques, which in turn have been sufficiently studied by the player. Below are the key concepts and situations when you can value bet:

• Raise for value. This point is key to forming a basis for theoretical training. Let's look at the definition using a practical example.

Late position on . The player has a pocket card of 22. He calls the opponent in the middle. K-7-2 comes and the aggressive enemy does . What should we do in such a situation?

The rest of the hand will call for fear of throwing their opponent out of the game. In such a situation, you should not expect to receive large sums into the bank at the later stages of the distribution.

The opponent will either end up with a weak hand and will no longer want to fill the pot, or with a strong hand and will continue to fill opponents’ calls, gradually increasing bets. This situation is simply ideal for raising for value.

• Thin value bet. A definition that haunts many poker players. Theoretically, this is a situation where we are in the middle situation, but there is an opponent who has weaker cards and can fill the pot with a call to our bet.

Not every player has this skill and many take years to master it. At the same time, the skill of using it, brought to automaticity, brings serious bankrolls at every opportunity.

We hope these examples have opened up situations where you can value bet. Missing opportunities to significantly round up your stack is a foolish thing to do out of fear or laziness.

The main secret to success in poker is that a poker player must place a bet when it makes a profit. When investing money in a bank, he must be confident that he will receive income from this investment in the long term. In a given hand, a player needs to bet such a size in order to get the maximum income or value from his hand. This concept is important for a poker player who plays for money to make money, so let’s take a closer look at it.

Value in poker (from English Value) is the profit that a player can earn when playing an existing hand in the long term or in a single hand.

Making profit at a distance

Not in all hands will a poker player have an unbeatable hand. With a strong hand he can lose or win. However, having combinations that are promising for the draw, a poker player can ensure that they make a profit by placing bets when it is profitable and in such a size that they generate income. In losing situations, he can use bluff, which can also be profitable if the techniques are carried out correctly. Let's look at a few specific examples of how to get Value in various cases:

Betting with a strong hand against a draw – if you have a strong hand, for example, top pair or two pair, and the composition of the board allows your opponent to make a Flush Draw or Straight Draw, you need to make a bet so that it is unprofitable for your opponent. Its size can be determined by the pot odds. If you make a raise that is profitable for your opponent to call based on the odds, he will equalize it and for him this investment in the bank will be profitable at a distance, but not for you. If your bet is not for your opponent, for example 2/3-3/4 of the pot size, you will receive a profit. In response to such an increase, the opponent may give up the pot - you will win immediately or he will equal the bet, but in the long run he will be in the minus, and you are in the plus.

Betting with Draw – if you have a Draw and your opponent bets, you need to Call only for Value. It will be profitable if your opponent's raise is profitable in terms of Pot Odds for you. For example, if you have a Flush Draw, your bet should be no more than 1/5 of the pot. Otherwise, calling will be unprofitable, since it will bring a loss in the long run. If, having a Draw, you bet first, you can also make a Value Bet in poker - get a profit with an unfinished hand. This is called a semi-bluff and is aimed at getting your opponent to fold. If it is believed that he did not make a combination, a semi-bluff can be profitable. Its size should also be in line with the pot odds for you to remain profitable at a distance.

Value bet with a strong hand – having a combination that is not a win-win, but is strong on a particular board, in order to make a profit, you should often make small raises that your opponents can equalize. For example, you have top pair on the Flop, and the opponent who called your raise preflop has a range of cards that in most situations will not allow him to win this hand. For example, from his range of hands, only one variant of pocket cards allows him to make a stronger hand. The remaining 10 options on this board lose. If you always bet in this situation, you will remain in the black in the long run. Those hands in which the combination comes to the opponent will be compensated at the expense of the remaining winning ones.

All-in preflop – a special case of betting on Value in poker can be going all-in with a Pair of Aces preflop. For example, you raised in early position, and your opponent made a high raise or went all-in. If you go all-in or call his stack, you will make a profit in the long run. Pocket Aces win about 87% of the time, making them profitable to play this way. Even if you lose in the current hand, the loss of your entire stack will be more than compensated for in the next similar situations.

Knowing what Value is in poker, you can always bet when it is profitable and fold when the bet turns out to be unprofitable. It’s worth remembering here that we are talking about profit over the long haul. In a particular hand, you may lose if you make the right decision, but by doing this in all similar situations, you will receive the expected income.

Game with Nuts

Getting maximum Value from a winning hand is sometimes more difficult for beginners than in other situations. If a combination cannot lose in the current hand, since the composition of the board does not allow this, questions arise as to how to proceed in order to get the maximum profit from it. It would seem that you can bet your entire stack in order to use the full potential of the available chips. In reality, such a bet will rarely be compared, and it will not have high Value. It is more correct to choose the optimal bidding tactics against each specific player, for example:

• Tight opponent – if you make a high raise, he will fold in most cases unless he made a strong hand. It is often more profitable to make small bets against him, which he can equalize the pot odds, allowing him to look at the next cards without much risk. Thus, it can be brought to the River, and there the draw can be carried out more aggressively.
• Aggressor – against an aggressive opponent, you can often also make a small increase, which can provoke him to bluff – a raise, which will be beneficial to you. Sometimes a Check is also effective if the aggressor acts after you. For example, on the Flop and Turn you can use the Check-Call or Check-Raise technique if you are sure that the opponent will bet in response to a Check.

Of course, the Nats play should be tailored to the specific board and range of the opponent's range. For example, if you made a Flush and are sure that your opponent also has a strong combination, but weaker than yours, you can play more aggressively, trying to get as many of your opponent’s chips as possible on each street.

To get the maximum profit or Value in poker from the game, you must not only be able to choose the optimal bet sizes and actions in each specific situation, but also know tactical techniques. Allowing you to minimize losses, take the pot with a bluff or increase the pot. You can learn about the most popular tactical techniques from this, where they are described in detail. Increasing profits is impossible without analyzing the history of the game, which allows you to identify errors and situations when you missed potential income or acted at a loss.

A value bet in poker is a bet in which a player with a strong hand receives a call from an opponent with a weaker hand.

Thus, a contribution to value can be called any replenishment of the bank when the participant with the strongest set significantly increases his own profit by calling his opponents, who are left with nothing at the final stage of demonstrating the set.

This technique ranks with the most important and significant techniques, since as a result of its practical application in a competition, you can win decent amounts of money by winning the main prize - the bank.

Such prospects sound very tempting, but many poker players are simply afraid to make a value bet on the river.

What is the reason? Let's figure it out.

Value in poker. Reasons for the formation of fear

Far from being an exception, but rather a rule, we can call the situation when on the river participants flatly refuse the opportunity to make a value bet in poker. This behavior is akin not only to beginners who are just learning the basics and delights of the competition, but also to experienced participants. Some give this behavior a name - caution. But is it?

Such neglect of opportunities can affect the results and cause significant losses. Therefore, calling the decision not to take advantage of the chance and increase your earnings is nothing more than a player’s mistake, which is not cheap.

Based on the beliefs of professional poker players, it should be said that in a situation where a participant does not place a value bet on the river, the moment is not far off when this player will join the ranks of losers.

The effect of such an action is as follows: participants are simply unable to assess the likelihood of winning the competition. Without such a skill, there is simply nothing to do in poker, because assessing your own strengths and understanding how high the probability of winning is - a skill that every promising poker player should have, this is the main action.

From which it follows that those players who have the ability to make an assessment have a certain bonus - a high probability that they will be able to take possession of the capital that is at stake.

And it is those who flatly refuse to apply value in poker who themselves predetermine their own fate in the game and doom themselves to regular failures.

Without exaggeration, stating a fact, it should be noted that poker cannot be called a simple competition. This is a really complex and intricate game. Those participants who give free rein to their consciousness, succumb to provocations and take the path of passion have enormous chances of losing, and no value bet will come to the rescue. But here there is another side of the coin.

Uncertainty is very constraining; this is precisely the factor that does not allow you to earn an impressive bank. If this continues regularly, then such actions will cause the final amount of losses in the corresponding equivalent to significantly exceed the amount of winnings.

The player will drive himself into a corner with such actions and will be left with no choice but to completely quit the race and leave poker.

For those who do not accept this scenario, it would be correct:

• carry out calculations of each action without exception;
• study in detail the rules of the competition in order to form a solid theoretical basis, which is never superfluous, rather, on the contrary, you can’t go anywhere without it;
• overcome the fear of making contributions when it is really necessary.

This is the only way to learn everything. This is the only way to guarantee yourself good positions and impressive prospects in the world card fights. Taking risks like value betting in poker can lead to a sizable pot that will be the envy of everyone!

Basic Concepts

In order to master the game well, you need to understand it thoroughly.

Below are some points:

1. What is a value raise in poker? One of the main questions that worries those who decided to form a base of theoretical knowledge. Let's try to understand the definition using a practical example.

Being in late position preflop, the poker player receives 22 and calls the opponent's raise from middle position. At the flop stage in poker, the participant sees K-7-2, and the aggressor makes a continuation bet at this moment. What should you do in this situation?

Most likely, other participants will start calling, being careful not to “ask” their opponent from the hand, but the question arises: will it be realistic to take possession of large sums in such a competition on the following streets? The answer is almost unequivocal - no!

Either the opponent will still be left with a set that has little competition, with which he is unlikely to be willing to invest additional funds into the main capital of the tournament, or he may still get a stronger combination, which also does not bode well. It is in this situation that the best solution would be to raise for value.

2. Thin value betting in poker is another definition that haunts many. What is it? Everything is simple, but only in theory. In simple words- this is the moment when the player is not in the best situation, but from the drawing it becomes clear that the opponent can pay the player’s contribution with a weaker combination.

Subtle value betting is a skill that not everyone has; it is akin to an art that beginner poker players will have to develop for a long time.

Value bet is a benefit.

To miss such opportunities out of fear or overwhelming laziness to study a concept and learn how to use it skillfully is the height of recklessness; such participants have no place in poker.

Value in poker is an effective way to push your opponent to replenish the reserves of the bank, which you should eventually take. All that is necessary for this is not to drift, but to raise and bet, thereby demonstrating unprecedented determination.

The ideal way to achieve what you want. The success of every poker player is solely in his hands! Forward!

Watch how to earn maximum value in the new video from Poker School - Features and secrets of value betting:

There are two types of bets in poker: value and bluff. Knowing how to bluff is important, of course, but knowing how to value bet correctly is an integral part of increasing your win rate, no matter what style of play you play. In this article, I want to discuss with you what value betting is, why it is so important, and some ways to improve your value betting strategy.

First of all, what is value bet? In order to understand what this is, we also need to understand what a bluff is:

• Value bet is a bet that provokes calls from worse hands
• Bluff - a bet that provokes hands to fold better

So, a value bet provokes action (a call or a raise) from enough worse hands to generate value with your hand. There is no doubt that it is much easier to value bet fish. They don't fold often enough and it becomes quite easy to get paid with hands like TPTK, overpairs, etc. You just want to get called or raised by worse hands, but at the same time you don't want your opponent to fold a lot of the hands you beat.

What I'm trying to convey to you is that there are different types of value. For example, if you have the nuts, you will always bet for value, because no matter what hand your opponent continues with, he will always be behind (worst case, you will have a split), so your bet here is always +EB. But as soon as your hand starts to become second, third, fourth, etc. With the nuts, the likelihood that your opponent has a better hand increases. And, eventually, your hand may become so far from the nuts and lose to so many hands that the bet in this case will be too thin a value or even a bluff. This is easy to explain with the following example.

BB: $100
Hero (MP): $100

Preflop : Hero is MP with X X
UTG folds , Hero raises to $3, 3 folds , BB calls $2

Flop : ($6.50) 9 Q 5 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $4.50, BB calls $4.50

Turn : ($15.50) 6 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $11, BB calls $11

River: ($37.50) 8 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $26

On the river we can easily value bet JT's hand because no matter what our opponent continues with, as I said before, we are either ahead or it's a split. But what about hands AA, QJ, or AJ? In this case, we should think about our opponent's range that he is likely to call on the river with, and see how our hand stacks up against that range. Here is a list of some factors we need to consider

1. How fake is this opponent? The more phony he is and prone to calling, the more seriously we should think about value betting here (and, naturally, the less we should bluff in this situation). Fish fold much less often than they should and call very wide, so we have to bet for value here with some hands that we wouldn't bet against a nit or TAG.
2. What is your opponent's range? What hands did your opponent get to the river? Will he call the flop and turn with hands like JJ or TT? Will he have many Qx hands in his range, or only KQ/AQ. Does he have a lot of missed flush draws here?
3. What will our opponent continue with if we bet? If we bet on any of the streets, we need to think about what hands our opponent will continue with. Will he call on this river with a Qx hand on a 4-street board? If not, then is it even worth betting here with AA for value?
4. Will our sizing influence his decision? The size of our bet can greatly change our value, including the validity of a value bet in general. Regulars will often call with worse hands if we make small bets, while calling larger bets with stronger hands. What I'm trying to get across is that fish often have an inelastic calling range (they will call whether we bet ¼ or pot bet). As for nits and TAGs, their calling range is elastic, i.e. changes with the size of the bet.
5. Will our bet allow our opponent to play correctly? Unless our bet causes a better hand to fold while also causing a worse hand to call, we will rarely get the result we want with our bet. Why value bet the river with a hand like KK against a nit who would never call with a worse hand here? Don't let anyone play against you without making mistakes!

To be honest, the most serious face that I see from beginners is that they do not understand what their goal is. And the second most important trick is to place value bets where they are not needed at all. Here's a classic example.

$0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em Cash, 6 Players

CO: $100
Hero (BTN): $100

Preflop : Hero is BTN with A 6
UTG folds , MP raises to $3, CO folds , Hero raises to $10, 2 folds , MP calls $7

Flop : ($21.50) A K 9 (2 players)
MP checks, Hero bets $14

In the example, the opponent is in MP nit. Since she called our 3bet OPP, he has a very strong range. So what can we achieve by betting here? Do you really think he'll check/call with hands like JJ or TT on an AK9 board? Or do you think he'll fold AQ or AK here? How many hands does he have in his Kx range that will call your 3bet OOP? In these spots, many players c-bet just because they have top pair, but with absolutely no understanding of what value there is in this bet or whether there is any at all.

So, what you should have learned from this article:

1. Make sure you know the purpose of your bet (is it for value or a bluff?)
2. Make sure your value bet is actually generating value in a given spot

If there are no worse hands in your opponent's range that he will continue with here, then why bet? Also remember that you can change your bet size depending on whether your opponent's range is elastic or not, or whether he is a caller or not. As always, first think before you bet and make sure you have enough value in your bet. Good luck collecting value with your strong hands!