No limit Texas holdem poker is one of the most exciting poker games there is. What makes no limit hold em so exciting is simple: It’s all about the betting. Unlike other forms of poker, no limit poker allows you maximum creativity when it comes to betting, and it is this creativity that makes or breaks poker superstars. One type of betting that represents a key part of no limit Texas hold em poker strategy is the control bet. Understanding the control bet will give you a big advantage over your less sophisticated no limit Texas hold em poker opponents.

What is a Control Bet?

A control bet is a bet designed to control the size of the pot. When the pot gets large, it gives opponents better poker odds to call bets on subsequent streets, meaning you can make very large bets that opponents will have good reason to call, putting them to very difficult decisions. If a pot stays small, it is usually not worthwhile for a player to risk a large portion of their stack in order to put pressure on their opponents, making it easier for opponents to get to the river without risking their entire stack.

Control Betting in No Limit Texas Hold em vs. Limit Texas Hold em

It is very difficult to control the pot in limit Texas hold em poker, since the size of the bets is fixed. In fact, the maximum amount that a pot can reach can be easily determined in a fixed limit hold em game. Furthermore, the utility of control betting is limited, since the amount you will bet on subsequent streets will never change. In no limit however, there is great elasticity to your ability to manipulate the pot, which means you need to consider how your bet will affect the pot size on every street.

When Should I Control Bet in No Limit Texas Hold em?

In Texas Holdem, or any poker game, you should always be thinking about controlling the pot. If you have a hand that you think either dominates your opponents or is dominated by them, meaning you are either way ahead or way behind, you may want to keep the pot small, since you will often benefit from a showdown, but you cannot take much heat. If your hand is either highly vulnerable or invulnerable to draws, you may want to let the pot get big, so you can put opponents to big decisions.

Example 1: Keeping the Pot Small

You hold As Kc. The flop is Ah Kd 6d. Here is a case where you are likely to be way ahead, but are almost completely dead to a diamond flush. You may want to make a small bet here (defensive bet) so that opponents without a flush or with a small flush may be afraid to push the pot. If you make small bets the whole way, you may get called by players with a pair of aces, a pair of kings, or drawing with one diamond. It will usually not be worth it for an opponent with a small flush to make a large bet and risk losing their entire stack to a higher flush in order to win a small pot. A player with a big flush will not want to overbet the pot and risk losing you. If you keep the pot small with small check calls or defensive bets, you will often get to show down a winning two pair and take the pot, and the times someone does produce the flush will not be too costly.

Example 2: Making the Pot Big

You have 8s 8c and the flop comes 8d Tc Kc. Here you can benefit from a big pot. If you make a small bet here, you will get called by many drawing hands. If one of those hands hits on the turn, it can prove very costly for you. In addition, if the pot is still small, a very large bet on the turn is often not merited by the odds. If you make the pot large enough, an all-in bet on the turn (or on the flop if you are raised) will often force an opponent to make a marginally incorrect call with a drawing hand or fold giving you a pot large enough to make up for the times you see a flop with 88 and miss.

The structure of no limit Texas Hold em poker makes control betting an extremely powerful weapon. If you can control the pot effectively, you can control your opponents’ actions. Good control over your opponents inevitably leads to tremendous success and big profits in no limit Texas hold em. Whenever you enter a pot in no limit Texas hold em, you should be thinking about what the pot size will look like on subsequent streets and how this may affect future decisions on those streets.

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