In order to improve your chances of making money playing poker, you must be able to capitalize on the money lying in the pots after the flop comes down. While stealing the blinds pre-flop is an important part of any poker game, post flop play will typically yield the biggest pots.

Post-flop play stems from 3 basic scenarios that are a result of the pre-flop action. Those scenarios are:

* No action – This scenario is a result of everyone at the table folding to the pre-flop raiser or re-raiser, or of everyone folding to the Big Blind.

* Heads up action – When only 2 players see the flop, the resulting action will be heads up.

* Multi-way action – When 3 or more players see the flop, this results in multi-way post flop action, or a “multi-way pot.”

No Action

No action – Nothing much to explore here. No post-flop action is the result of pre-flop play where all but one player folds. In this case, no flop is dealt, and therefor there is no post-flop action. Congratulations, you just saved some chips!

Heads Up Action

Heads up action – When there is post-flop action, this type of action is the preferred scenario of any professional or serious poker player. Heads up action is simply easier to play. Bluffs and semi-bluffs are successful a higher percentage of the time than in multi-way pots. It is easier to get a read on your opponent’s hand strength. Often in heads up action, pots can be won with low to middle pairs or even high-card hands.

The keys to successful post-flop play include position and aggression. Successful post-flop play will depend largely in part on your pre-flop choices. You will win more pots playing from position than you will out of position. You will win more pots when you are the aggressor (the bettor or raiser) than you will by checking and calling. Therefor, one of the most effective improvements you can make to your post-flop play may be an adjustment to your pre-flop stratgey. Open with aggressive raises from superior position to improve your post-flop winning percentage. By coming out aggressively pre-flop and playing from position, a multitude of different ways that you can win the pot will open up to you.

The most important tool you will have at your disposal will be the continuation bet. This is when a player raises pre-flop, and then fires another bet into the pot after the flop, whether or not the flop improved the raiser’s hand. When you enter into a heads up pot with a preflop raise, you should follow through with a continuation bet 75%-90% of the time, regardless of what flopped. Your opponent will completely miss the flop roughly 70% of the time, and your continuation bet will win you the pot the in most cases.

Another tool that a pre-flop raise from postion will give you is the semi-bluff. This is when you flop a draw, such as a straight or flush draw, and bet or even raise as though you have a made hand. If you get called and then hit on the turn, you are likely to get paid off in a big way! Even if you miss on the turn, you’ll still have a free shot at the draw most of the time. Your opponent usually will not bet on the turn because either (a) he will be afraid of facing another big raise, or (b) will have the best hand, and will be anticipating (and probably hoping for) another bet from you on the turn. Take advantage of this oppotunity to see a free river by checking the turn if it’s a blank.

You can also utilize “feeler bets,” which are bets or raises to determine the strength of your opponent’s hand or the strength of your hand in relation to theirs. While you are spending some chips in this situation, try to avoid thinking to much about your “lost chips” when facing an opponent who is giving you clues to the fact that they have you beat. The reason you are putting out small feeler bets is to save yourself large amounts of chips if you’re hand is beat.

Multi-way Action

Multi-way action – Multi-way pots are typically the most difficult to play, and should be avoided in most situations whenever possible, especially if playing from out of position. Multi-way pots can be good to play in, however, with drawing hands or small to medium pocket pairs. The reason is that if you flop a monster with a disguised hand, you’re more likely to get paid off as someone in the hand is likely to have a hand that is strong enough to call you with, even if it is 2nd best. If you were to flop a set with a small pair or a a flush or a straight with a suited connector, you’ll have plenty of players in the hand who might have top-pair-top-kicker, 2 pair, or a draw that may be willing to pay you off even if you fire a huge bet.

If you do flop a draw in a multi-way pot, tricky plays aren’t as likely to work. Stick to good pot odds to chase a draw. If the price isn’t right, throw the hand away. You will find good pot odds often enough in multi-way pots to make it worth throwing away a few draws when the odds are against you.