The river is when big things happen. Any online poker player can tell you about the importance of the river in poker, but if you’re not familiar with the term, or perhaps are a bit shaky on why it is so important, you’re the perfect reader for this article.
Stick around to find out what the river is, what a good river strategy consists of and what you should keep in mind when betting at the river.
WHAT IS THE RIVER IN POKER?
In the world of Texas hold’em poker, the river is the fifth street — when the last of the five community cards is dealt. The river is when the stakes are considerably high, since the active poker players would have considerably invested in the pot to arrive here.
The river succeeds the pre-flop, the flop and the turn, in this order:
- The pre-flop is the first betting round, when no community cards are dealt. Players have two hole cards to decide whether they like their pot odds enough to invest in the pot. If not, players can fold and abandon the pot.
- The flop is when three cards are dealt to the table. This is the first of the betting rounds post-flop.
- The turn is when the turn card is dealt — the fourth community card. This stage is also known as the ‘fourth street’.
- The river is when the river card is dealt to the table — the final card for players to use to make a better hand.
What happens after the river card is dealt? This is when the showdown occurs; when all the players still active in the poker game engage in a betting round before revealing and comparing their hands. The best hand is then declared the winner, and the player will get to win the contents of the pot.
WHAT IS THE POKER STRATEGY FOR THE RIVER IN POKER?
Playing with a good river strategy will always put you at an advantage compared to players who don’t use one. To that end, you have good reason to read up on what you should be paying attention to in this street.
One of the golden rules in poker is to always pay attention to how the other players act during each street, but the importance of this is further amplified when it comes to the river. At this stage, you cannot afford to be blind-sighted by behaviour that you should have been paying attention to from the start!
This can prove to be a fatal mistake in poker cash games or poker tournaments, where you can never afford to lose money to other players without giving them momentum.
HOW SHOULD YOU PLAY THE RIVER IN POKER?
Many players have a blanket river strategy that doesn’t really take into account the player’s position at the table. This is an oversight that your opponents will hope you commit, so let’s not give them the satisfaction! In truth, the general pointers you will read below are fairly straightforward to people who have been playing poker games for a while.
The advice we’ll offer below is divided in two: when playing in position and when playing out of position. ‘In position’ refers to the late position, where players have a great advantage owing to the fact that they get to act after everyone else has. ‘Out of position’ refers to the early position, when players play before everyone else — one of the biggest disadvantages in the game.
HOW THE RIVER SHOULD BE PLAYED WHEN IN POSITION
When in position, you should be looking to capitalise on your advantage and the river is the best way to do just that.
NOT CONFIDENT WITH YOUR HAND? DON’T BET
Your hand strength determines how a hand should be played, and the river is no exception. You should never place a large bet unless you’re confident that you have the best hand among your opponents. For example, betting at the river with a two pair on a wet board is a bad move, especially if your opponents could have made a full house. You could opt for bluffing and hope that you beat an unsuspecting opponent or two, but the risk of getting beat yourself is noticeably higher in this case.
TRY NOT TO GET RIVERED DON’T BET
Although getting rivered can happen regardless of the position you’re in, the point of this article is to make you aware of all the possibilities. Getting ‘rivered’ means that your opponent picks up a lucky community card on the river, thus, making theirs a strong hand — possibly the best hand, too. How can you really know if you’re about to get rivered?
Pay attention to the bets they place. A small bet can mean that they’re testing the waters, or simply that they don’t have a good hand at all. A big bet means that they’ve lucked out on the river, and, unless you’re confident that you have the best hand at the table, you should go ahead and fold. This can be a tough decision but don’t be too attached to your hand if you want to avoid losing money.
HOW THE RIVER SHOULD BE PLAYED WHEN OUT OF POSITION
Despite the disadvantage of being out of position, playing your hands wisely is a big must, especially during the river.
PLAYING TIGHT RANGES IS A MUST
There’s often no point in pursuing a loose range of hands when out of position, since your opponents will be able to bet or raise as much as they like after you’ve acted. Hoping to win with weak hands in early positions will usually end up in losing more money than anticipated. Playing tight ranges is often the only viable course of action when out of position, so evaluate your hole cards in relation to the community cards very carefully; that is, if you make it to post-flop.
FOLD TO VALUE BETS
It’s one thing if your opponent checks after you’ve acted at the river, but a value bet should get your alarm bells ringing. If your opponent bets or makes a raise, it’s highly unlikely that they have the worst hand in the game. Whether it is a bluff or just an attempt at upping the stakes, it is up to you to decide whether your hand — be it a strong or weak hand — is worth calling the bet or raise, seeing as your opponent acts after you.
THE BEST TIP FOR PLAYING THE RIVER IN POKER
Being the final round of betting prior to the unveiling of the pot winner, the river is the most important street in the game. At this stage, you’ll have the most information you can possibly get with regard to your opponents’ behaviour, so using this to your advantage is paramount if you want to win that pot.
The river is where the gap between skilled and inexperienced players comes to light. Bluffing at the river is known to happen in the greatest stages of poker around the world, including tournaments hosted by the World Poker Tour and the high-roller tables of Las Vegas. With that said, it can backfire very easily if an experienced player picks up on the bluff.
Several elements come into play at the river; namely, the strength of players’ hands, their pot odds, their experience and their position. The game can be won due to any of these factors prevailing, so it’s up to each player to make the most out of the situation at hand.
THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO AT THE RIVER
If you’re in a good position and your hand is quite a formidable one, the worst thing you can do is slow play it. The phrase ‘slow playing’ refers to the practice of playing a hand passively; that is, checking or placing a modest bet as opposed to placing a large bet or raise.
Why is slow playing a strong hand such a bad thing? Well, the aim of every poker player should be to exploit their strong hands when they present themselves. Seeing as powerful hands don’t come by all too often, it’s crucial to make them count when they do. In fact, the winnings amassed by strong hands serve to negate frequent, albeit small, losses, mostly owing to the blinds.
Unless you’ve somehow made it to the river with the worst hand in the game, we don’t recommend acting conservatively. Going on to win the pot is very important when you’ve got the potential to do so.
On the other hand, if you’ve checked your way to the river with a bad hand, your options are two:
- Bet big in the hopes that the bluff will faze your opponent(s). As we’ve mentioned above, this move can work against you if your opponent holds a good hand. If you succeed, you’ll get to enjoy the contents of the pot without too much hassle.
- Check in the hopes that your opponent(s) does the same (if you’re in early position). This is the less risky move you can make, since you won’t be investing anything in the pot, but you’ll still be in to win it if your hand beats the others. Should your opponent place a bet that you’re not comfortable with, you could always fold without damaging your chip stack. If yours is a weak hand, feel free to fold if or when a large bet comes your way.