Playing the Flop in Cash Games

When Playing the Flop in Cash Games there are a couple of things to look at first. First off, what position at the table are you in, and secondly what type of player are you playing against. If you can think of these questions before playing your hand you will be much better off.

The position you are at is one of the most important things to look at because it can make you or lose you a lot of your poker bonus money. If you are sitting to the left of a very aggressive player you can be picking up a lot of dead money on the flop. Most of the time if you are sitting to the left of an aggressive player and you hit a big hand you will get paid off for at least two streets. If you can succeed in getting their whole stack in on the flop or turn then it will most likely be a cooler in your favor. If you are looking at position at the table you would never want to sit to an aggressive players’ right because they will be applying a lot of pressure and putting you to consistent decisions on the flop. One way to combat that type of player if you do happen to get stuck in that spot is to use the check raise on the flop. A good portion of the time the aggressor will slow their style down quite a bit, and you can capitalize. When you are the one applying the pressure rather than your opponents you will be the one winning in the game.

When you can play in position and become the aggressor in cash games you will more times than not be successful and having winning sessions. When you start to play hands and flops out of position in cash games is when you can really get yourself in to trouble. Playing the flop out of position is something that will get you stuck more times than not. This goes back to making a bad call before the flop with a hand such as QJ or J10; completing the bet. When you start playing hands like that out of position you will wonder where your stack went. A lot of the time players will think they are getting coolers, but the reality is that they should have laid their hand down before the flop. There is no reason to play a flop out of position if you don’t need to. The only times to play flops out of position are in spots where you three bet before the flop with big pairs or AK/AQ. Often times you will see reckless play from the small blind or big blind. Whether it is making a hero call for a good portion of your stack, or making a big bet and having that bet raised, you can be sure to stay away from pots from the small or big blind unless the price is right.