The River Raise in Poker |
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There is nothing worse than getting to the river with a strong hand, only to be faced with a raise. It is one of the strongest plays in poker and, if you are playing at low to mid stakes, invariably means you are beaten. If you are playing Omaha poker online against a multi-tabling reg, and facing a river raise, then you are always beaten. There is no way they have the time to turn this spot into a bluff. So, if you are playing low to mid stakes, especially against regs, then these spots can be easily navigated by simply folding. As you move into the higher stakes of the game, things are not that simple. Edges become blunt and players are looking for any way to extract just a little more blood. This means the river raise falls into this category. Example:There is a button open and you three-bet with [As] [Qs] from the small blind and the button calls. The flop is [3c] [7s] [Td] and you bet/he calls. The turn is the [6c], and both players check. The river is the [Qh], you bet and your opponent moves all-in. Against the low to mid stakes regulars, you can easily fold in this situation despite being at the top of your range. Players at these stakes just do not consider bluff raising in these spots. They have eight-nine and that's all there is too it. But a high stakes player is capable of trying to represent eight-nine in this spot. They will know that you do not believe a lot of players are capable of bluff raising in this spot, therefore reducing the number of bluffs in their perceived range. So, at the higher stakes, sometimes you are just going to have to abandon your poker strategy, close your eyes, and call. |
