When you are playing a no limit hold’em cash game an important, and often overlooked concept is that of the “hammer of future bets”. In general the “hammer of future bets” concept takes into account the expectation that the bets will get bigger in the later betting rounds. In this article we will look at some instances when you must be wary of the hammer and some instances when you can use it to your advantage.

The most common time when you have to be worried about the hammer is when you are out of position with a mediocre hand. You have a decent hand that you think might be ahead after the flop, but you can’t really improve. For example, let’s say the blinds are $1/$2 and you are in the big blind with a (10,J) of diamonds. A player from the button raises to $7 and the table folds around to you. Both you and the button have the maximum allowed at the table and you call because you feel your (10,J) of diamonds could take down a big pot. The flop comes (2,5,J) rainbow with no diamonds. You decide to check here and your opponent bets out $10 into the $15 pot. Now comes your decision. You feel that you might have the best hand because your opponent may have bigger over cards like (A,K) or (A,Q), but then again he may also have an over pair or (A,J). If you make the call you are subject to more betting rounds in the future and these bets will likely be getting progressively larger. Since you have no draws to improve it is probably a good idea to fold in this situation. By folding here you are protecting yourself from the bigger future bets that your opponent will likely make. The further you get into the hand the bigger the pot will be and the more you will feel obliged to continue calling, until all of your chips have made their way into the middle. It is best to avoid these situations by realizing that calling the bet on the flop, isn’t all you will have to call to reach showdown.

You can use the hammer of future bets concept to your advantage by betting on the flop when your opponent has shown weakness and checked the hand. Your opponent will be less willing to play a mediocre or drawing hand when they feel they will be forced to put more chips in to see the river if they miss the turn. Remember though that your flop bet has to be big enough that your opponent feels you are building the pot and will make another big bet on the turn. If the flop bet isn’t big enough your opponent may either read you as weak and make the call or think he has the right odds to call even when including the probable turn bet. For example, if you hit top pair on the flop and your opponent has four to a flush, it’s a good idea to make a bet close to the size of the pot. Your opponent will then have to consider that bet, plus the probably future bet on the turn if they don’t make their flush. The realization that they will have to call a bigger future hammer bet if they miss on the turn and the fact that they might not even get paid off if they make their flush, provides good reason for your opponent to fold to a pot sized bet even with the flush draw.

In a no limit hold’em cash game you should always be looking ahead and considering what the future may bring in terms of play and betting amounts. When you are deciding whether to make a call with a mediocre hand remember to include the hammer of future bets in your decision.

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