I just started playing no limit hold'em instead of limit hold'em because of the greater number of skills I can use against my opponents. But my question is this: What factors determine how much I should bet? I am used to playing NL tournaments, but I am not sure how to adjust to ring. When I hit a monster like AA overpair or set or stronger, how much should I bet if I do not need to bet out draws? How much if I do need to bet out draws? It seems to me that I do not know how to capitalize on my big hands. In a tournament, I would just push if there were any draws, but in ring, I think I would only get called by a better hand if I do that.

Do you have a good grasp of pot odds? If you are confident you are ahead, you need to bet enough to make sure any draw is NOT getting odds to call.

If you have the nuts, or there are no draws out there to concern you, you kind of have to have a feel for the table and what you think they will call.

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I'm CDO. It's like OCD, but everying is in order just like it should be.

What you can do is find people who only play pot odds..... and then always bet 85% of the pot

In NL you have to 'tune into' people - you have to establish what their 'limits'
are - how much do they value TPTK? how do they react to a checkraise? if they check and you bet the pot - will they fold? Do they fear flushes? what does it take to get them to put down AA or KK, or TP on a weak flop.- loads of questions.

Stacks are very important in NL - implied odds can often be more important than pot odds. short stacks in ring behave very differently to full stacks..

The amount you bet also depends on your table image.You are far more likely to get an all-in call with AA if its only your second hand than you are if you've played 35 hands on a table and only seen the flop via the blinds.

Ppl constantly adjust their limits to you:If you got AA three times in a row and went all in each time - on the third you might well get ppl calling you with JT or 22. In the same way ppl will fold to a 0.3x pot bet on the river or call an all-in on the same flop and betting sequence.. depenedent on your and their performance over the last 20 or so hands.

Never slow play AA... you often hear this.. but actually you must mix your play up or else you become predictable. After a drought of hands its worth betting hard with AT suited in early just because you might take down the blinds there and then but also it tends to loosen the table to you.

As you say you need a bigger set of skills in NL... Generally in NL you are playing not only you current hole cards but also the last 20 you have played and those your opponents have played.

There's a bit more to NL.... but if I told you I'd have to kill you

Easy really.....

Tournaments you make a good point on. Generally if you get a good hand you simply push.. you often don't have the luxery of exploiting weaknesses in your opponents. Ring is very different.......

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See me playing $10/$20NL like it was play money

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Doberman: "but Sarge, isn't poker gambling and just luck?"
Sgt. Bilko:" not the way I play it"

harringtons tourny book is actually a pretty good guide for betting in NL ring, so that's not a bad place to start. i'm cribbing from his ideas, pretty much.

there's no hard and fast rule on how much to bet, just factors. some to consider:

1) who's been leading the betting until this point? for instance, a large flop bet from someone who called a raise PF is a lot more intimidating than a regular followup raiser.

2) what's the look of the flop? harrington calls this texture; basically it's the likely impact of the flop on your opponents. for example, if you hold 66 and the flop comes A J 6, you can probably bet more b/c of the chance your opponents are holding something. on a board like J 6 2 with your 66, a big bet won't work as often.

3) your image. what have your bet sizes been in the past and what do they mean to your opponents? think about what cards you've shown after what type of bets.

4) your opponents. some players will interpret any small bet as weakness and raise you. some players interpret all large bets as bluffs. some opponents cannot let go of a draw. pay attention to how opponents interpret your bets and their stock reactions.

5) the amount of chips you have relative to the pot.

6) pot odds, of course.

7) a random factor, especially in live play, so you don't become too predictable.

some scenarios with specific info would probably elicit clearer responses from me.

maxpot

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