Poker Draw or Poker Flaw?

A poker draw is one of the most common ways to lose a lot of money playing the game. There are plenty of times where you can easily validate a poker draw but is there ever a time when calling on a draw is just plain stupid? Sometimes it is perfectly fine to call on a draw; in fact it is often the best choice. Calling too many poker draws can become a major flaw in your game.

If you want to be a great poker player there is one thing you need to learn before anything else.

Discipline

There is a time to call a poker draw and a time to fold it. If you do not have the right odds and the right amount of money then you have no business calling a draw. The only way it will work out for you is if you play with the odds. I am constantly preaching about knowing the pot odds and playing solid poker.

Example:

Your hand

Pot Size = $50.00

In this situation you have a very common open ended straight draw. The majority of players who don’t know the math are going to chase this draw right down to the end no matter what the circumstances are. A good player however will know that the only way you should call on a draw like this is if the money is right. You only really have about 8 outs. That means that on the flop you cannot call anything more then around $16.00.

If you do not know why then go back and read How to Calculate Pot Odds the Easy Way.

A poker draw can make you a lot of money if you have the right pot odds, but if you have to call more then what you are suppose to call then you are going to be a losing poker player and there is no way around it. If you are going to call pot size bets with a straight draw then your game has a major flaw that will continue to stop you from winning poker consistently.

It all comes down to knowing the math and sticking to it. Of course, sometimes you are going to have to adjust accordingly and play with a little more risk. If you want a sure way to be a winning poker player then play the math and odds. The problem for many is not the knowledge of what to do, but the discipline to actually do it. The next time you are getting ready to call on a poker draw, ask yourself if this is a legitimate draw, or a poker flaw?