Draws in Pot Limit Holdem
Pot limit holdem is a variation of Texas holdem with a betting structure that is a little different from the one you may be used to. Unlike in no limit holdem where you can bet all the chips you have on the table at any time, in pot limit holdem, you can only bet an amount up to what is in the pot. This calls for some slight variations in your Texas holdem strategy. One issue you will have to deal with in pot limit holdem games is how to handle draws. Learn more about Texas holdem here.
A draw is a situation when you flop a hand that is close to becoming a flush or straight but is not quite there yet. For example, you have Ah 5h and the flop comes Kh 8h 3s. You have the nut flush draw, as any heart that does not pair the board will give you an unbeatable flush, although right now you have nothing. If you have the 9d Tc and the board comes Js Qd 4h, you have an open ended straight draw, as any of the four kings or four eights will give you a winning straight. Note that if the 8 comes you have the nut straight, but if the king comes you could still lose to AT.
When you are drawing to a hand, you are trying to decide if the amount you will win when you hit that hand is more than the amount you lose all of the times that you miss it. In a no limit holdem, game, you may wish to try to draw at your flush or straight as cheaply as possible, then build up a pot if you make it, or make a semi-bluff and try to steal the pot if you don't. In pot limit, this presents a problem.
The problem is that if you want to build a pot in pot limit holdem you have to start early. You cannot check the flop, hit your card on the turn, and then goad opponents into calling two large bets on the turn and river, because the pot will not allow such bets. You will not be able to force opponents to fold on a semi bluff for the same reason. Therefore if you decide to draw to big poker hands, you should probably bet out the size of the pot on the flop. If you win the pot uncontested, that is okay because you don't have a hand yet anyway. If you get called and hit your card on the turn, you now have the flexibility to make a bet that can be paid off.
You will have to determine on the flop if your opponent in the hand is one that will be likely to pay you off if you hit your flush. If he is not, it is probably not worth drawing at, as you will miss most of the time and not win a big pot when you hit. On the other hand, if you feel this is a passive opponent who can be forced off the hand even if you miss, you may want to take a shot at it anyway.
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