There are lots of terms and theories to learn about poker, but value is considered as one of the most important. It is a crucial element of the game that basically means the strengths of the hand. Value expresses how good your combination of cards is according to the rules of the type of poker you play. However, in most cases when someone means “value” they speak about a special betting tactic – a bet for value.
A bet for value is an extremely effective tactic that is often overlooked by novice poker players. Simply speaking, a bet for value is a bet that is made when you have the best hand of the deal. Most of the time it is very easy to understand that your opponents do not have a better hand. A bet for value can be used in both made hand and drawing hand situations, even though the drawing hand’s chance of winning is statistically a bit lower. Value bet is extremely effective against a fish. In such cases all you have to do is to get called or raised by woerse hands, and try at all costs to avoid your opponent folding.
Value betting is a very powerful tactic that can lead any player to victory if executed correctly. However, you should not forget about other tactics and rely only on a single one. If your value is to low a bet for value is simply impossible.