Many players lose money in cash games not because of bad luck, but due to fundamental post-flop mistakes. By recognizing and fixing these common post-flop errors, you can make better decisions, extract more value, and avoid costly leaks in your game.
Calling A Raise To Fold The Turn
I was working with a student the other day. He value bet thinly with AKo (no heart) on a K♥– J♠- 8♥– 5♥ board versus a player in the big blind who had a wide range. Not a bad value bet. However, he fired the turn, and his opponent check-raised small. Without thinking, my student immediately called.
“Let’s think clearly about this,” I said. “What’s the most important thought to have right now? What should you be thinking about?”
My student paused and remembered his training. “Is this X, and X is the best hand I beat. Is this K-Q? No, it’s not. This guy also doesn’t bluff much here. I don’t know why I’m calling.”
“There’s another issue. Do you know what it is? What else are we supposed to think about here?”
“I don’t know.”
“How often will he bet again? What are we doing when that bet comes in?”
“Oh, after he check-raises the turn? There will be a bet on the river constantly.”
“And what are we doing when that bet comes in?” I ask.
“We’re folding.”
“So, if we think about the right things here as opposed to how much we like our hand, we realize that we’re not beating much of anything, there will almost always be a bet on the river, and we’re always folding to that bet. Now, is this a situation we should be investing money in?”
“No,” he admits.
“So, just fold here. Don’t donate because you’re emotionally attached to your hand.”
This leak happens all the time. We fall in love with our hand, and we forget to think about our opponent’s range. We also forget that there’s future streets to play. If we stop for a second and think about these key questions above, we can remove this leak and save tons of money.
Continuation Betting Into Half Of Earth is a Post-Flop Mistake
My student raises with Kings under the gun.
Lojack, hijack, small blind, and big blind call him.
The board comes A♦-9♦-5♣. He doesn’t have the King of diamonds.
The action checked to him. He bets half the pot, which looks pretty large now given how many pre-flop callers there were.
“Why are you betting here?” I ask.
“I have to continue the story,” he says. “I was the pre-flop raiser, so I have to bet.”
“What is the most important thing to think about here?”
My student checks his notes. “Am I betting for value or as a bluff,” he says.
“Exactly,” I say. “You want to make sure every bet has a purpose. Now, tell me, is this a value bet or a bluff?”
He catches himself. “It’s neither,” he says dismayed.
“Correct. This bet neither folds out an ace or gets a nine to call. It’s completely pointless. You’ve put money into the pot for no reason.”
“But isn’t it bad to just check and fold Kings here?” he asks. “Isn’t that weak?”
“Four people called you pre-flop. What are the chances no one has an ace? That’s the most popular hand for people to play pre-flop. People love aces. You’re likely dead to two outs. Just fold.”
C-betting into half the field with nothing is one of the most common post-flop mistakes we see.
Calling With Weak Hands Multi-Way
My student called with A♣-7♣ on the button after the Lojack raised and Hijack called. The big blind called as well.
The board comes K♥-7♠-4♥. The big blind checks. Lojack bets half of the pot. Hijack calls. My student calls.
“What’s the most important thing to think about here?”
“I’m not sure,” my student says.
“One good thing to think of when you’re in a multi-way pot is how often there is going to be another bet. After you answer that question, ask yourself what you’re doing to the next bet. So, in this spot, how often do you think we will see another bet?”
“The majority of the time,” he answers. “Pretty much always.”
“And what are we doing when there is another bet?”
“We’re folding almost always. And it’s hard for our hand to improve.”
“Exactly. A turn ace is not a terrific card because the pre-flop raiser could easily have Ace-King. If the turn is the 7♥, that could easily bring in the flush for someone. You’re not going to hit anything on the turn the vast majority of the time, and even when you do hit something you’re not going to be loving it. There will be another bet the majority of the time, and you’ll have no idea what to do versus it. Just fold right now and save the money. The hand was good enough to see the flop with, but this situation doesn’t work for you.”
Calling Every Continuation Bet In A Three-bet Pot
I was playing in a private game the other night. I raised from the hijack. The cutoff called me. The player on the button squeezed. The player on the button wasn’t a tight player, but he also didn’t goof around much. He played seriously for hours and hadn’t gotten out of line.
The action folded back to me. I flatted with A♥-J♥. The cutoff folded.
The board came 6♥-6♠-4♣. I checked. My opponent bet 60% of the pot. I quickly folded.
This is a spot where many online guys would say to me, “how did you fold there? You have to defend with two overs and backdoors! You’re so exploitable! He could squeeze on you all day now!”
This line of thinking is ridiculous to me. The assumption these guys seem to make is that if someone can exploit me then they will exploit me 100% of the time.
Let’s apply that to everyday life. The other day I walked out of my front door to help my neighbor with something. Once I walked a few minutes, I realized I forgot to lock the front door of my house. Theoretically, someone could have walked into my house and taken my TV right then. However, if I would have turned around immediately and started sprinting towards my front door to lock it, I would look like a crazy person for a reason. The idea that someone is waiting outside of my house to rob me specifically is unreasonable. The idea that someone could read my mind and know my front door is unlocked is bizarre.
I folded here because this gent had been a solid player all night. I had no reason to suspect he was goofing around in this pot. Even if he was bluffing, I had no reason to believe he would keep doing that. He has no idea what I’m folding here, so he doesn’t know what door I left open. To continue to blindly play a pot where I have few outs is one of the big post-flop mistakes people make.
Sure enough, after I folded, he showed a premium. I was completely dominated!
Calling WAY Too Many River Bets And Raises
I was having a rough session the other night. Long story short, I was getting tired and annoyed.
I raised with a solid Ace from early position. The button, a player I couldn’t get a great read on, three-bet me. I called. The board came Ace high. I check/called a continuation bet. The turn checked through.
On the river, a bottom card paired and a backdoor flush draw came in. However, I still felt my Ace was going to be good a large percentage of the time. I made a small value bet, because in this game it would be totally normal for a weaker pocket pair to call me just to see the ace.
“I’m all-in,” my opponent said after twenty seconds of deliberation.
Of course, I was pretty annoyed when I heard those words, and that’s the problem. How many times have you seen someone be in this situation live, and they just immediately say with frustration, “I call.” It’s not enough to know you’re beat and got unlucky. You have to see it.
Your opponents are not that creative. Generally, when they raise turns and rivers, they have the best hand. If they triple barrel you, they have the hand. If they do a small bet on the river, they don’t expect to get many folds, so that’s generally the hand. You don’t have to give them credit for bluffs that they’re not capable of making.
I sat there for a second, just on the off chance I could get a physical tell, but I wasn’t too worried I was getting bluffed. He would call with most of his weaker pairs.
I decided to turn down the temperature a bit and make this easier. “What’s your favorite Rocky movie?” I asked.
“What?” he started laughing earnestly.
People relax with big hands. They know they’re going to win a big pot or a bigger pot. They laugh and breathe easily.
“Your favorite Rocky movie?” I asked.
“The first one,” he said laughing.
“Why?”
“Oh, the first one was a classic.”
“What about Rocky IV?”
“Which one was that?”
“That was the one…”
We kept going 20 more seconds. I got my information. If he was turning a hand into a bluff, he was good at keeping his cool while he did it, and most people don’t have that skill. I took a few more seconds so it wasn’t obvious what kind of information I was digging for, but then I folded.
Conclusion: Post-Flop Mistakes
Avoiding these common post-flop mistakes will help you make smarter decisions, protect your bankroll, and maximize your long-term winnings. By folding earlier when you’re beat, sizing your bets wisely, and calling more selectively, you’ll stop bleeding chips in tough spots. Stay disciplined, trust your reads, and you’ll see a significant improvement in your cash game results.
Just a note before I go…
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Want to read more from APT Head Pro Alex Fitzgerald? Try his article about 8 Strategies for Playing Multi-Table Tournaments.
