CONSIDERATION FOR FLOP PLAY
Making the Pot Big
One advantage of playing strong hands aggressively and straightforwardly is that it tends to make the pot large.
A large pot is an incentive to other players to keep calling your bets with weak hands, which is always a plus for you.
Drawing Odds
In many situations where you’re probably beat and should usually fold, the size of the pot often dictates otherwise.
When the pot gets large, a lot of folding situations become calling situations.
For example, when you’ve got the second pair, someone else bets, and you’re fairly sure that the bettor has the top pair.
We gave some examples of that earlier: One was when you are holding A 
T and the flop of
K T 
4 
.
It’s likely you don’t have the best hand and you’re about a 9-1 underdog to improve.
How did I compute that?There are forty-seven cards you haven’t seen (fifty-two minus the two in your hand and the three on the flop).
Of those forty-seven cards, there are three Aces and two 10s that will improve your hand.
That’s five cards or five outs.
So the next card can be one of five cards that help you or one of forty-two cards that don’t help you; 42-5 is the same as 8.4-1.
I round up to 9-1 to take into account those times when an Ace on the turn makes someone else a straight.
In this case, if the pot has nine or more bets already in it, and you know that no one will raise after you call, then you should call a bet on the flop.
You’re getting the right pot odds for a call. This is also called getting the right price.
Entering a Public Cardroom / The Play of the Game / The First Betting Round
