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You are heads up, and have second pair. If you check, your opponent may also check if he missed the flop and wants to see the turn cheap. And, if he bets, you have to decide if you want to call with second pair. Be aggressive against the pre-flop raiser. Use a probe bet. Bet $300. Example: You have 8♠-7♦ on the big blind. It is the middle of the tournament. The blinds are $400-$800. You have $28,000. A player limps under-the-gun, and another player in late position calls. Both players have slightly more chips than you. The player in the small blind folds. There is $2,800 in the pot.

The flop comes A♠-9♦-7♣. You flopped third pair. What should you do? You can check, and avoid trouble. Or, you can seize the opportunity and bet out. If no one has an Ace in their hand, it will be very difficult for one of your opponents to call your bet. Even if you are called in these situations, you can improve on the turn. But, overall, it makes more sense to be aggressive and make a play for the pot. Use a probe bet. Bet $500.

Flop Moves: How to Set a Trap With Top Pair 58. Set a Trap: When you are heads-up, in position and flop top pair with an Ace or King, check your hand. Poker pros are looking to accumulate chips and like to trap. One move they favor is to check when they flop top pair and act last. While it is risky, the reward can be a bigger win. Of course, this is a play that should be limited to flops that are not coordinated since giving a free card could cost you the pot. Example: You have A♠-J♥. It is the middle of the tournament. You have $38,000. The blinds are $400-$800. A player in the middle position, with $45,000, raises to $4,000. You call on the cut-off. Everyone folds. It’s heads-up. The pot is $9,200. The flop is A♣-10♦-6♥. Your opponent checks his hand. What should you do? Check as well. It is true that your opponent could have a straight draw, but why not take a chance to win a big pot? In fact, your opponent’s big pre-flop raise may indicate that he has a pocket pair that he was trying to protect. So, if he has pocket Jack’s, your bet on the flop will get him to fold. However, the check may give him the green light to make a play for the pot. The only caution is that you want to avoid making this play if the board is coordinated and has draws. For example, if the flop is A♣-10♦-9♦, your opponent could be working on a flush or a straight draw. Checking would give him a free card. You should bet your top pair to protect your hand.

Flop Moves: When Pre-Flop Steals Don’t Work 65. If you improve on the flop, bet your hand. If you don’t improve, you need to ask yourself some key questions. Stealing the blinds is a well-known move by all poker players. If you get called when you try to steal, you can’t just give up. If you improve your hand, you should bet the flop. If you don’t improve your hand, do not make a knee-jerk continuation bet. Ask yourself these questions: • What range of hands do you put your opponents on? • Do you think the flop helped their hands? • What are their betting patterns from the blinds? Do they fold or defend? And, how do they play on the flop? • Did you pick up any tells? • If you make a bet on the flop, what hand are you representing? If you are against one opponent you should lean toward making that bet, or you make a delayed continuation bet and check the flop, and bet on the turn. If you are against two opponents, you should lean toward checking your hand. If your opponents show weakness by checking the turn, bet.

Turn Moves: Scare Cards 79. Bet when a scare card appears on the turn to steal the pot. A scare card is any card that is dealt on the turn that appears to give a player a strong hand; usually, it gives a player a stronger hand than the one