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A lot of poker players don’t know which flops call for a bet and which flops should be played more passively. One of the large determinants of the proper post-flop action is the corresponding pre-flop action. Pre-flop play will build the framework for the rest of the hand, so it is important that you use this information to help make your post-flop decisions easier.

This holds true whether you have a strong hand, a weak hand, or are just making a continuation bet after a pre-flop steal attempt. It shouldn’t be too hard for most players to learn when they should and shouldn’t bet flops, this is largely because it should be common sense. If you want to build a pot or are playing against a draw heavy board, get the money in the middle. If you are playing against a loose or spastic opponent, get the money in the middle. These are common situations where it should be clear that building a pot is necessary, but there are plenty of players who will wait around anyway. One of the worst mistakes that players can make is waiting for someone else to make a bet and be the aggressor. By the time that this happens you may very well be behind. The more passively you play a hand, the more opportunities you give your opponents to catch up. Don’t give other players free chances to beat you, it just doesn’t make sense.

Sometimes you will end up with a hand that will only beat a complete bluff. These hands are commonly referred to as bluff catchers. Making a call with a bluff catcher is not typically going to be a winning proposition, but on occasion it will only make sense. In order to make profitable calls while holding a bluff catcher, a player will need to have a pristine read on their opponent. You will only be able to beat a very defined and narrow range of hands, so you will need to be quite sure that your opponent holds one of the few hands that you can beat.

When you lose after making a call with a bluff catcher you will probably feel like an idiot. You will ask yourself why you made such a stupid call, and so on and so forth. This is the nature of the game, you will look like a genius in certain hands but you will look like a moron in others. All that matters is that your genius outweighs your idiocy.

Continuation betting is a topic in poker that gets a lot of attention. Almost every poker player knows what continuation betting is, but very few really understand the dynamics of proper c-bets. C-betting is often times made unnecessarily complicated, when in reality it is a very simple concept. A continuation bet is a bet that will be made on the flop in an effort to continue with aggression that you had shown pre flop.

Your pre flop aggression will have come in the form of a raise or a re raise. You can’t make a continuation bet on the flop when you simply made a call pre flop because you wouldn’t be continuing anything. There is a big difference between continuing with your aggression and starting with your aggression. If you were the aggressor pre flop, it will mean that you now have the upper hand when you head to the flop. Your opponents will naturally assume that you have a relatively strong hand, otherwise they wouldn’t have expected you to make a pre flop raise. Since your opponents think you are holding a strong hand, you will be able to exploit your image. It is unimportant that you don’t actually have a strong hand, all that matters is that your opponents are scared enough that they will talk themselves into a fold. There will be times where your pre flop raise isn’t going to always mean that you should be making a flop continuation bet, however. It is important to understand that some flops are meant for passive play, no matter how aggressive you were pre flop.

While at least 80% of Americans, and probably about the same percentage of other countries use playing cards on a regular basis, or at least have a deck or two in their homes, but this staple of our global culture is more than just a means to a game. What follows is more information than you’ll ever need to know about cards, but those who love to play card games will appreciate it.

HISTORY OF THE CARD

Playing cards date back to somewhere between 800 AD and 1100 AD. An ancient Chinese dictionary references cards and claims they originated during the reign of Emporer Seun-Ho around 1120. As legend goes, Seun-Ho used them to amuse and entertain himself and the people he lived with. In India and Egypt they were used for fortune telling.

Despite our lack of knowledge concerning exactly how playing card came to Europe, what is generally accepted is that in the late 1300s, the Mamelukes of Egypt introduced their style of cards to Europe. A pack of Mameluke cards consisted of four “suits,” each of which contained 13 cards, just like modern day playing cards. These suits were called cups, swords, coins, and polo sticks. Each suit consisted of 10 numbered cards and three court cards, the King, the Vice-King, and the Second Vice-King.

Playing poker is exciting and may be good, not just for recreational purposes, but also for maintaining levels of health. Here are some talking points for the next time you find yourself in discussion over the benefits of your favorite past time.

Adopting New Skills Is Vital for Brain Health

Learning new information produces stimuli that can promote better health. Poker does not just require expertise. It demands and develops many talents and personal qualities which are essential for making all types of decisions, such as choosing an occupation, investing money, performing a job, or buying a car. When playing cards the brain is challenged to think, solve, predict, and memorize, which provokes neurons to wire. (Neurons are the basic building block of the brain, and we have about 100 billion neurons in our heads). The more wired the brain is, the more active and alert it becomes. Poker players make and get feedback on hundreds of decisions every session, which greatly accelerates the learning process.

Research has shown that people tend to repeat rewarded actions and discontinue punished ones. Poker teaches by rewarding desirable actions such as thinking logically and understanding other people and by punishing undesirable actions such as ignoring the odds and acting impulsively. Neurologists agree that learning a new task is a healthy formula to help train the connections between brain cells. Playing poker and other games of strategy provide mental exercise, thus making poker good for your health.