June 29, 2009
Chasing a Hand
It’s risky to chase a poker online hand, but there are times when it makes sense. If you have lots of outs or if the cost of chasing is minimal, chasing might be your best, ahem, bet. Say you have an 8-9 of clubs and the flop comes out 3 of clubs, jack of hearts, and 10 of clubs. The table checks to you, and you are left wondering whether or not it’s worth it to chase your casino hand. You don’t have a hand yet, but count your outs-you have four 7’s and four Queens that can make your straight, but wait, there’s more! You’ve also got ten other clubs in the deck that can make your flush as well. That gives you eighteen cards that can make your hand, and you have two draws (the turn and the river) to get any of them.
Once you’ve decided to chase your hand, you’ve got to defend it. If the turn doesn’t make your poker online hand, nothing will weaken your resolve to make your hand more than having an opponent bet on the turn. A raise after the flop will have your opponents putting you on a hand and will make them a lot less likely to bet after the turn, giving you a free look at the river.
