Common Drawing Mistakes in No Limit

If you want to succeed in No Limit you must know how to play the draw properly. Most of the time you will need to draw to make your winning hand, but while knowing which cards can make for good hands is important, it is equally vital to know which draws to avoid.

There are different game situations in No Limit, so to give an exact definition of what constitutes a bad draw will be impossible. However, in most cases, the following can apply.

For instance, the gutshot straight. What this means is that you can only use one card to complete the hand. For example, if you are holding J9 and the flop comes out with an 872. It means that a 10 will form your hand. In most cases, playing this hand is a poor No Limit strategy.

Number one the odds against hitting one card on the turn or river is quite low (1 in 10 and 1 in 6 respectively). Number two, the straight itself is very low, and can be beaten easily with if there is a Q on board.

Only play the gutshot if you have overcards, because that will give you more outs in case you do not hit the straight. Also the gutshot may be worth trying if the pot is very large.

An even more difficult draw is that of the backdoor flush. Basically what that means is that you will need two cards of the same suit to appear on the turn and river. Needless to say, the odds of that happening are very low. The No Limit strategy for playing flush draws is that if you do not get the four flush by the flop, or the flush by the turn, fold.

Small pocket pairs are usually playable in No Limit, but again it will depend on the game. If you are playing in a tight game and there are a lot of raises pre flop, it will be a good idea to fold your low pair, because the odds are while you may hit a set, the cost for seeing the flop will be huge, and your opponents will likely hold higher pocket pairs.

Drawing hands in No Limit is no easy task, and even professionals have to make tough decisions when they reach this juncture. However, by knowing which hands are the most dangerous to draw, you now have a significant advantage over your less informed opponents, who rely on the luck of the draw.