At the higher stakes of poker, you have to find as many edges over your opponents as possible. Many times you will have a weak pair on the river after your opponent has checked. The board might be very dangerous where your opponent could possibly have a flush. After playing many hands with this opponent, you are almost certain that he has an even weaker pair. A decent player would simply check in this position to avoid the possibility that his opponent has a monster hand. A world-class player would make a thin value bet in this situation. A thin value bet is a bet made to extract maximum value from a hand. It is thin since you are only marginally ahead of your opponent. It takes a lot of trust in your reading ability to make these thin value bets. If you know how to make thin value bets, you will make a fortune in the long run. It may take some experience at the tables and some courage to make this play.

Force yourself to make thin value bets and you will develop a feel for the proper situations. At first you will be very hesitant to make a river bet with marginal holdings but it is only temporary. Continue to work on your game making thin value bets whenever the situation calls for it. At the higher stakes of poker, it is these marginal edges that will make you a winner in the long run. No one is making very big mistakes in these higher limit games. Take your time when deciding on each and every decision. Automatically checking may be costing you a lot of money in the long run. Think about thin value betting and your game will improve dramatically.

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