In the preceding discussion of general Texas Holdem strategy we have been focusing on poker hands where your holdem opponent thinks he has to improve to win. In those cases your bet is highly related to the number of "outs" you think he has. But that is a minor consideration when you think he has a legitimate made poker hand that you can beat.

For instance, in a typical No-Limit Texas Holdem game, if on the turn you have bottom two pair and you put your opponent on an overpair, he has eight outs. But that fact is largely irrelevant to your bet-sizing decision. Your bet should be significantly more than the minimum one-third pot-sized bet that having eight outs would suggest because your holdem opponent isn’t counting on having to improve to win. Your holdem opponent is likely to call a sizable bet, so make one.

However, even when you’re choosing a large bet size because your opponent may think he has the best hand, you still should consider whether he has outs. If he has no outs, and you think that he will call X dollars 100 percent of the time or 2X dollars 50 percent of the time, the two options have equal expectation. But if he has outs, the bigger bet is better because you now gain something when he folds.

Good luck.

Also recommended:

1. When Bigger Bluff Sizes Will Fold More Hands
2. When Your Opponent Could Have One of Several Draws
3. You Might Not Have the Best Poker Hand
4. Don’t justify your Texas Holdem opponents’ optimistic calls either
5. Determining the Best Poker Hand in Omaha High