| Reading the Board |
| Not only will 'reading the board' help you decide what hands
your opponents may have, it will also help you identify those that
they won't. |
| To start with, you will obviously know the two
cards in your own hand.
That
little
knowledge,
along
with
the
way
the
others
bet, will help you to deduce what cards your opponents are likely
to be holding. By looking at the community cards and ‘reading
the board’, you will be able to deduce even more. |
| Pairs on the Board |
| If there’s a pair on the board, pay attention - someone
may be holding monster hand. A pair on the board means that someone
may have a Four-of-a-Kind. If there are no pairs on the board,
then no one can have a Four-of-a-Kind. Pairs on the board also
make a Full House possible. |
| Three of a Suite |
| If there are three suited cards on the board, a flush is possible.
When the suited community cards are not particularly impressive,
say 2-7-9 of diamonds, it’s easy to overlook the potential
flush in an opponent's hands. |
| Sequence Cards |
These are the cards that make a straight possible. If the cards
on the board have only two 'holes' in a string of five consecutive
cards, someone may be holding those two cards and has the straight.
So, when cards like 9-J-Q show themselves on the board, beware
that an opponent may be holding the missing 10-K in their hand.
|
