How To Play River
How To Play River Chart
Once you find yourself on the river you need a completely new hand evaluation model because there are no more cards to come. You have your final hand. It won’t get any better or worse. A drawing hand is pretty much worthless at this point. To learn how to play river you must learn how to evaluate the community cards and the possible hands held by your opponents.
Here is a printable version of the complete limit cash game handout (including the chart below).
| Your hand |
Initiative |
Community cards |
Correct course of action |
| Two pairs or higher |
Irrelevant |
Favourable |
Bet and raise at every opportunity. |
| Two pairs or higher |
Irrelevant |
Unfavourable |
Bet or call if bet is not an option. Never fold. |
| Top pair / over pair |
Yours |
Favourable |
Bet and raise at every opportunity. |
| Top pair / over pair |
Yours |
Unfavourable |
Bet or call only once. Fold to raises. |
| Top pair / over pair |
Not yours |
Irrelevant |
Bet or call only once. Fold to raises. |
| Any other hand |
Irrelevant |
Irrelevant |
Check or fold if check is not an option. |
The initiative only matters if you have top pair or over pair and the story is pretty much the same with the community cards. Players are unlikely to fold on the river which is why you need to decipher where your hand really stands. Top pair and over pair are in the grey zone. The other hands are more black and white. Understanding and acting upon these differences is the key to how to play river.
How to Play River Examples
How To Play River Example 1
Your pocket cards are Kh-Qh and the community cards are Qd-8h-6c-5d-3c. Your have a top pair. Your last action in the previous betting round was to bet and nobody has bet before you on the river. This means that the initiative is yours. The community cards make flush impossible. It is also impossible to form a straight with high ranking pocket cards. No community cards are matching in rank either. In short, the community cards are favourable.
Your correct course of action: Bet and raise at every opportunity.
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How To Play River Example 2
Your pocket cards are Qh-Qc and the community cards are Td-Jh-6c-As-Kd. You have a straight with A as top card. The community cards are favourable.
Your correct course of action: Bet and raise at every opportunity.
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How To play River Example 3
Your pocket cards are Kc-Qc and the community cards are Ad-Ts-Td-6s-9s. You have a trash hand. Somebody has bet before you. It is your turn to act.
Your correct action: Fold.
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You should now be ready to play Texas Hold'em low limit fullring cash games. We wish you the best of luck!
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