How To Play The Flop
The strategy that you employ on the flop is predicated upon a number of different factors. There is not one particular way to play the flop. Even if all things are the same, same position same hand, same number of players in the hand, same amount of money in the pot, same limit and type of game, and same flop cards, you will still want to have more than one way that you would play the hand after the flop. You never want to become too predictable or other players will pick up on the way that you play and it will cost you money. The important thing is that you have a strategy going in to the hand and that it is a strategy that you are able to modify based upon the action at the table during the hand.
Flopping a Draw
It is usually a good idea to represent a made hand, after the flop, when you are on a good draw. By playing the hand strong you represent that you have a hand and may be able to pick up the pot right then and there. If you are in early position it makes sense to lead out with a bet as if you had a made hand. This will, often times, let you take the pot down right then and there. If you have an aggressive player behind you then making a check raise is a very strong move that will give you some other options on later streets, including the possibility of giving you a free card on the turn. If you are in later position with a draw and the pot is checked to you a bet is almost always indicated. If a player gets in to you after the flop and you know that he is a very conservative player then you may want to just call, as long as you have a decent draw and the implied odds make sense.
Flopping a Monster
When you flop a Monster hand you need to consider how you can get maximum value for it. Slow playing a hand like this is what many players will do and it is a viable option. However a skilled player will not take long to realize that you come out betting with a drawing hand and slow play a made hand and this will , not only cause you to lose action, it will cause you to lose pots. You have to mix this up and handle same situations differently.
Flopping a mid range hand
When you flop a mid range hand you need to be able to draw on your experience with the other players in the pot and be able to put them on a hand. You need to be able to let go of this hand if you feel that you are beaten and the implied pot odds do not justify you taking a shot at drawing out on someone.
Missing the Flop entirely
If you called from the big blind and the flop is a bunch of small cards, it is easy to represent a hand like two pair. If you raised in late position pre flop then this same flop may not convince anyone else that you have hit it at all because they will be thinking that you were drawi8ng to AK or something like that.
Be sure to also read the Basic River Strategy and the Basic Turn Strategy.
