After the flop, you join the betting round for one of two reasons: you have a very promising hand or you think you have the ability to fool other players into believing that you have a great hand.

The first scenario presents a problem if it turns out that you and your opponents have equally strong or promising hands. Worse, your opponents’ hands may even be better than yours. The second scenario is no less problematic. What if one of your opponents is holding nuts? In this case, he’s certainly going to raise the stakes so he can maximize his profits from you. Even players with initially mediocre hands may still beat you at your own game. This could turn out to be a very costly mistake on your part.

If you would like to get maximal returns on your bets, you should follow the strategies outlined below whenever appropriate.

When You Hold the Nuts

If you have the best possible combination at the table given the flop, you should maximize your winnings by playing as if you have mediocre cards or perhaps a drawing hand. What you would like to accomplish, basically, is to lull your opponents into a sense of false security so they would continue to speculate on their hands. If they don’t sense that you have the winning hand, they’re going to continue playing in the hopes of getting their break at the turn or the river.

Your opponents who have a complete hand at this point are likely to take control of the hand by betting aggressively. Follow their lead, but refrain from raising whenever possible. Rather, you should limit your moves to checking and calling. This way, players with strong hands will stay until the showdown, when you can show your milking hand and win a significant pot.

When You Hold Big Drawing Cards

In this case, it is best to semi-bluff. Make your opponents think that you now have the monster hand that you’re actually waiting to form through lucky draws. This type of play is akin to bluffing for your cards are presently useless. However, it’s not exactly the same as bluffing since your hand can improve to be a sure-winner if the turn and the river favor you.

It is important to scare as many players as possible into folding as early as possible because of the very real possibility that your drawing hand will fail to hit. Thus, you should keep your play aggressive through betting and raising.