[sours]

If you play nl hold em then you might encounter an opponent who likes to make minimum bets. This opponent may be a very weak player using a limit strategy or he could be a very savvy opponent who is using this play so that he can see the next card cheaply. Another reason to make a small bet is when you have a very big hand. The weak lead here is to induce an opponent to play too aggressively. This trap play is an excellent strategy when you flop a set but you have to know when it is correct to try it and the pitfalls of making this play should it backfire. The weak lead in this situation works better than the check raise when you are out of position as it doesn't appear to be as strong of a move. In addition even though the bet seems small, you are building the pot for future rounds of betting which might tie an opponent into making a call on the end when offered decent pot odds. You can always start out with the weak lead on the flop but then bet a larger amount on the turn or river.

I would like for members to give an opinion on how to best counter an opponent who is using this strategy often. In addition I would like to know when the weak lead is best utilized (besides the trap play example above). Remember that one does not always want to counter the opponent's strategy so think about when it might be best to just let him lead into you as well and give an example where their weak lead is actually a perfect set up for you to use to your advantage. I will add my thoughts after I hear some opinions. Please do not hesitate to ask questions about this strategy as it is a very important strategy that a number of players fail to use in their arsenal.

[norshvind]

I never use this play. Maybe I’m giving my opponents too much credit here, but I think that if my opponents see me making 3/4 pot bets most of the time (but never smaller than 1/2 pot)... the minimum bet screams that I’ve got a big hand! My play would typically be determined by my pre-flop play. If I called pre-flop, I would check here. (He has position, right?) If I raised pre-flop, I would probably make a slightly smaller than 1/2 pot sized bet, trying to look like a continuation bet which I often make. My main goal with a big flop hand is not to raise suspicion. A different type of "trap" play that I like to make here is... I make the "continuation" bet on the flop, then check the turn (to further ‘sell’ that it was a continuation bet, and give them a chance to bluff at it), then lead out again on the river as if it is one last desperate attempt to buy the pot. I just don't like the "weak lead" as it says too much about your hand, unless you do it all the time... in which case it is probabbly indeed "weak." I am probably wrong here, so I anxiously look forward to other thoughts on this.


To counter the play... if I’m drawing to a very big hand, I’ll just call. If I’m not, I generally make a big enough re-raise on the flop to define my hand. That way, I can let it go without the typically bigger turn and river bets. I’m no expert, so this might be wrong as well. I can’t wait to find out...

[DeepBlue]

It's interesting play, and I've seen it used to lure players in - they call the small bet, then the player raises but not by much - again he's seen as weak and called, bet's go up on each turn of the card, and before you know it you've sunk a significant amount into the pot and been done up like a kipper.

I personally don't find it rewarding and it can be tedious playing by the strict limits imposed by such play, but as you said - people *think* you are weak if you play like this, but you are actually seeing a hell of a lot of cards cheaply, so maybe you aren't as stupid as people think. Be wary of this kind of player.