The Streets Of Texas Hold'em Poker

 

The Different Streets In a Poker Hand

The Flop
After seeing the flop, Don't feel obligated to remain in the hand. A common mistake made by beginners, especially online is to decide, "I'm already in this hand, so I might as well play it out." NOooooooooo.
With up to seven players at a table, two pair or better will generally be the winning hand. If you don't have the high pair after the flop (say the flop comes out and is Q-9-5, the high pair would be two Queens), and you're not in good position for a straight or a flush, you should probably get out of the hand.
However, remember that as the number of players depletes, so does the potential of that strong hand being out there...  So, if you're at a table with just two other players, it could pay off to be the aggressor and bet at the pot, hoping to take it down.
If you're first to bet after the flop, don't feel like betting is the only solution, CHECK. This can work to your advantage in two ways. First, if your hand is on the weak side, you may get the luxury of getting to see one more card without having to put more of your stack into the pot. Second, if your hand is strong, you could convince an opponent or two that it's weaker than it really is.  Of course times change and technique does too, so this is an important situation to know when to switch gears because someone could read your strength through your portrayal of weakness.
 



Fourth Street and Fifth Street
Also know as The Turn and The River, respectively, the fourth and fifth community (cards face up) cards give you two more chances to either get out of the pot before you lose money, or increase your winnings.
At this point, it's likely there will only be much less of an opponent count in the pot with you. The best advice here is to be smart. After fourth street, don't stay in the pot hoping for a straight or flush, unless you can do so on a check (think odds, and how many outs you have, although it may be an easy fold patience may take you in a different direction). Although there will be times when you would have drawn the straight or flush, they will be outweighed by the times you wouldn't.
The bottom line is this: Don't allow yourself to get sucked in too far with a weak hand, throwing all your chips in on a hope and a prayer.
That said, there is a point where the investment you've already made virtually tells you that you hang in there. It's most reasonable to measure this in terms of percentage of your chips. For example, if you've already committed 40% of your chips to the pot, another 5% isn't that much. This is a gray area, so once again the best advice is to be smart, but think cautiously.