weak lead bets

[BrianSwa]

sorry guys ive been reading alot of what Daniel has been reading latley and been posting it here if you already know about a weak lead bet then no need to read but if you dont read.



A weak lead is basically a smallish bet into a large pot, with several goals:

(A) Getting a cheaper draw; for example, you are on a flush draw, out of position, and fear that if you check, your opponent will bet so much that it will force you to lay down your hand.

(B) Getting full value; a small bet on the river will usually get called by a wider variety of hands. If you fear your opponent won't call a decent-sized bet, the weak lead may get you full value.

(C) Avoid having to play a big pot; for example, you think your opponent may be bluffing, but you don't want to call all of your chips to find out. By making the weak lead on the river, you force your opponent to read through your weak lead and raise you.

Great players will often pounce on the weak lead. They'll also utilize it to trap other great players. How? They'll make the weak lead with the nuts, hoping their opponent will pounce on that weakness and raise. Well, in this situation, my reason for betting was a combination of (B) and (C). I wanted to get called by ace high, but I didn't want to have to call a large bet if I checked. So, I bet $1,500 into a pot of almost $5,000.