How to Play Under the Gun in Poker – Poker is a game that involves taking risks with limited knowledge, but what happens if your knowledge is zero and you can’t boot? This is the case when you play Under the Gun poker. This is the highest pressure position at the poker table, but you can play it to your advantage. When you’re in control, it only takes a little poker strategy to minimize losses and maximize profits.
What Does Under The Gun Mean in Poker?
The expression “under the gun” (UTG) refers to starting position in Texas Hold’em or Omaha poker. If you are playing with UTG, then you should sit directly to the left of the big blind. This means you are the first player to act before the flop. The only information that will help you decide whether to call, raise, or fold is what you are holding in your cards and your opponents are also not giving you anything to work with.
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How to Play UTG Preflop
If you have a strong enough hand, the best thing you can do is bid. You may be lucky enough to see everyone playing that you can close out the game. However, there is a possibility that at least one of your competitors will respond.
First question: How good are your cards really? You should only use the strongest cards; In this case, you can call to trap your opponent or make 4 bets to expand the pot.
How to Play Under the Gun in Poker?
Second question: What position is your opponent in? One of the blinds is that if you 3-bet and move on you will be in post-flop position so you can look with a wider range in hopes of getting a good flop and capitalizing on your position. However, you are playing under control, meaning most players expect you to have a strong hand. As a result, 3-bet the blinds most likely have something big behind them, in which case expanding your range may not be the best option. Are your cards big enough to play 4 bets? If not, it’s better to call (lose the opportunity to take a position) or just pass.
Post Failure Strategy
There are 2 main ways you can hit the flop after raise UTG when you raise or call 3bet. You can bet against the caller that they don’t have anything scary to hide. If you do this they will 3-bet you pre-flop hoping you will make the pot bigger. As a result, you want to keep betting on the flop that fits within your opening range. But never get carried away.
Unpleasant surprises may be hidden in bends and rivers, so be careful. If your opponent bets 3 times on you, they are telling a story about how strong their cards are. Often they also have a position above you. Unless your cards are very strong, then the best basic approach here is that you should fold. If you have something strong (ace-jack or better), you can control them and let them continue the story.
How you go from here and this also depends on how well you connect to the flop, your read, and your stack-to-pot ratio. In general, let your betting opponent be the aggressor. Keep checking and letting them build the pot until they decide it’s time to end it all with a raise.
