Making a Careful Bet
Your acts in such a scenario as explained above on the turn and river are going to based on your evaluation of the state of affairs and the company you are up against, but it would be good to consider the possibility of folding up the hand if your opponents go for a re-raise or huge appraisal of the stakes after your turn.
You End with an Over-Pair
Let us assume that you are holding a big pair (like pocket 10’s or bigger) and you have made a standard raise prior to the flop to weed out the loose players. Obviously you’d love to make trips, but that is not going to be and a good second best is that the board is brought down with no over-cards that is cards higher than your pair so to say in the case of pocket 10’s that is J, Q, K and A.
In this ‘second best’, chances are you are winning at this point and your major threat is that a smaller pocket pair has its trips. Now you want to clean up with a robust bet but also taking care that it is not so robust that you could be tricked by an opponent with a better hand, steering clear of the possibility of an over-card emerging on the turn or river to damage your position. In normal play this is the worst time for slow-play.
You End up with a Top Pair
If you get so lucky as to flop top pair, then it is festival time, it is a most desirable position and definitely an enviable one to be in!
The secret of playing a top pair, like all the other hands, is to identify any possible dangers and plan your acts accordingly. What if someone is drawing to the flush? What if someone is hanging in with ace big hoping to hit? What if it is a big pair? Are you sure your kickers are strong enough to stand?
A bet which is as big as the size of the pot should do one of the two – either win it for you, or, if there is a caller, tell you that there is someone else out there on the table with a trick as good as yours up their sleeve.
You End up Having Two Over-Cards
The secret of playing over-cards on the flop is being able to see another card either economically or for free. Given normal conditions you do not want to be placing any bets in but a low bet from a loose player might well be worth calling. Beware though for in an unraised pot and a flop, such loose players and the ones playing the blinds do often hook up gloomy opening hands.