Betting

To Bet is to represent strength. It is a statement to the other players at the table that we believe we have the strongest hand or the strongest circumstances in which to act, and so we wish to Raise the stakes to reflect this. In principal, nearly every Bet we make in poker should be for one of two overriding reasons:

1. For Value
2. To Bluff 

We should Bet for Value when we believe that our opponent could hold a hand that is both weaker than our own, but strong enough to Call our bet.

We should Bluff when we believe our opponent holds a hand that is both stronger than our own, but not strong enough to Call our bet.

In reality, things are not always this clear cut - we may not have a good sense of our opponents' cards. However, before we decide to bet, we should have a firm sense of the reasons for our bet.

There is one more reason to Bet that falls somewhere between betting for Value and bluffing - betting for protection. As with a Bet for value, we believe we have the best hand, but like a bluff, we are happy to see our opponent(s) fold. Despite thinking our hand is winning, we also believe our hand is very vulnerable. A Protection Bet is designed to win the Pot then and there; we don't want our opponent(s) to see any more cards (for free) that could improve their hand(s). Unlike a Value bet, we don't expect our Protection Bet to be called by worse hands.
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