Therefore the primary aim of betting is for information.

There are two types of information bet; one that seeks information and one that gives information.

An example of betting which seeks information would be a semi bluff bet, where a player holding second pair, bets. The understanding gained from that play may be interpreted and acted upon.

Betting may be used to deliberately give information. A reasonable pre-flop raise may tell the table you have good pocket cards. It's up to the other players to decide whether or not they believe you.

With aggressive or passive betting actions and patterns, players are giving away information regarding not only their hand, but also their attitude to the cost of the buy-in. At various stages of a poker tournament, betting actions also give information about a player's style relative to the current chip stack and blind ratio.

All betting information is useful and if interpreted correctly will give you an edge over your opponents.

An associate of the primary aim may be to build the pot if holding a very strong hand, where any number of subtle and not so subtle betting strategies can be employed.

When and why to bet

Betting is mostly a reflection on the cards that you have and occasionally an opinion on what your opponents do not have; it should be considered and controlled.

As standard practice, bet when you believe you have the best poker hand; but be prepared to fold if that idea changes. Once your chips are in the middle they are gone, don't throw good money after bad.

Bet, raise or call if you feel there are sufficient odds to make that play with a likely positive expectation.

Unless you have a very strong hand bet to take down a pot early; do not slow-play* your hand if there are cards in the deck to beat you. They have a nasty habit of showing up when you least want them.

For instance, if playing NLH you have Ah-Ac, and the flop is Ad-6d-Js, you should bet to end the hand now. You have a very strong hand but with two diamonds and two cards to a straight showing, allowing more cards to come to the board may give your opponents an opportunity to overtake you (or bet as if they have).

Only if you have the absolute nuts** should you play the opposition like a violin.

*The term slow-play, means to disguise the value of your cards by betting an amount less than is common for its strength.

**The nuts is a poker term meaning - the best possible hand that can be made from both the cards now showing and from cards to come (if any).

No matter whether playing live or online poker, do not forget there is also an option to fold.

Betting versus gambling

Betting and gambling are key parts of poker but they are not the same thing.

Considered betting is the cornerstone for the successful poker player. A gamble is an extraordinary risk-taking play that should not be made lightly. While a gamble may be necessary at times, it should be thought through before making that play.

Do not confuse betting with gambling.

When and why to gamble

In a tournament

As a rule, gamble only when you have to; by that, when you have less than 8-10 times the big blind left. Often with that amount, while a big stack may take you on you can still hurt some of the medium stacks at the table and they may not be so interested; you will often be in a race* which if successful will have you double up to a workable amount or you may pick up the blinds (and antes, if used) unopposed.

Find some cards with which to make your move; draw a deep breath and get all your chips into the pot, usually pre-flop and usually before anyone else opens the betting. When you commit to the hand you will hopefully have just one opponent, because while it may seem enticing to get into a multi-way pot with the potential to triple or quadruple up, the more players you are facing, the more hands are out there to beat you.

Generally you will need an exceptionally good draw and/or a desperately short stack to gamble in a hand after the flop or turn cards.

*A race is generally thought of as being two players into a pot with one having a pocket pair, going up against two over cards.

On a cash table

I could write a section on cash table gambling quoting 'pot odds', 'expectation value', 'fold equity' and all sorts of baffling numbers to justify the gamble. However, those terms are often used to excuse poor play by someone who simply gambled and got lucky. They can also be used by a player who was unlucky and had made a correct call.

Best advice is; do not gamble, play your best poker to out-play your opponents and win chips.

If you fancy taking an extraordinary risk with lesser cards, make sure you can afford to lose.

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