Poker Terms Explained - What is a Value Bet in Poker?

How often do we as players make a bet in poker, without fully knowing what we're trying to achieve?

The answer should obviously be rarely/never right?

But, I think if we're honest with ourselves, for most of us this isn't the case. Are we trying to make money from worse hands? Are we trying to get better hands to fold?

Today we're looking at the art of value betting, so we can ensure for one of the many scenarios we encounter at the tables we know exactly what we're trying to achieve with our bet!

What is a Value Bet in Poker?

The definition of a value bet can range slightly depending on who is asked.

Theoretically, at least a value bet is a bet where we expect to have more equity than our opponent, or in absolute terms, we expect to have a better hand than our opponent. The success of a value bet can be defined simply by when our opponent calls with the worst hand.

Why do we Value Bet in Poker?

Value betting is a massive part of being a winning poker player. If we're never making bets when we have the best hand, we're going to end up leaving a lot of money on the tables.

That isn't to say we should always be value betting, but for a hyperbolic example. If we're nutted on the river, and it's checked to us in position, we need to ensure we're betting to make the most money we can.

We also need to consider factors outside of our range or even our specific hand when value betting.

Villains hand strength

The stronger villains hand, the more likely they are to find calls, so we need to consider this when sizing up our value bets. In scenarios when we expect Villain to be very strong, we can size up our bets knowing Villain when the top of their range will be calling most sized bets.

Villains thoughts on our hand

If the Villain is expecting us to have the nuts often, they will have a tough time calling a bet of any size. It isn't to say it will be impossible to get calls, but it is a point to consider, and it may be worth going super tiny in sizing to eke out the last bits of value possible.

Villains' ability to find folds

This one goes without saying, but some players will always find calls. It is horrible when we're bluffing, but this is perfect when we're trying to get value.

Getting Thin Value

Making value bets isn't always as easy as this, though. There are more nuanced situations when it comes to value betting. These spots are tougher to take, and the elite players do well!

Thin Value bets

Our hand is weaker than our range (generally when we get to the river), but we still think our opponent can call with worse hands. These bets are much harder to make when we're wrong. It can cost us money.

Don't leave any Money on the Table!

Whilst value betting appears simple. Hopefully, the nuance of something like getting thin value shows how complex value bets can become and how they're an area we all need to think about when at the tables.

We need to make sure we maximise the amount we are making through our value bets. If we're betting too low, we're potentially leaving thousands on the Table, too high, and we're missing out on a ton of value when we let Villains consistently find folds.

If it hasn't been emphasised enough yet, value betting in poker is essential! As the old saying goes, "It's hard to make top pair", so when we do, we need to ensure we're getting the maximum value!

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