INITIATIVE “Initiative” and “taking initiative” are terms you will constantly encounter while reading books about poker, browsing poker forums, or watching poker training videos. It is said that having initiative during the game is just as important a factor as position. So what exactly is initiative in poker and how can it be used to gain an advantage over opponents?
What is initiative? The dictionary states that initiative is an introductory action or step; a leading action. In poker, initiative is when a player shows the most aggression in each betting round. Such a player represents the strongest hand and has the “initiative in the hand.”
How to take/retain initiative? To have the initiative, you simply need to make the last aggressive action in the betting round. This can be a bet or a raise.
For example (A/B – players):
A raises, B calls – Player A has the initiative
A raises, B re-raises, A calls – Player B has the initiative
A checks, B raises, A re-raises (check-raise), B calls – Initiative belongs to A
A and B check – neither player has the initiative
Essentially, if you call an opponent's raise or check, you are giving the initiative to your opponent.
When can you gain initiative? Initiative is most often gained before the flop, as in many cases, someone will make a raise and someone will call that raise. However, this does not limit the possibility of taking initiative in later betting rounds – on the flop, turn, or river. It should also be noted that initiative is not static and can change between players during a single hand, depending on who made the last aggressive action in the betting round.
Example of initiative changing between players:
Pre-flop: Player A raises, Player B calls – Initiative belongs to Player A
Flop: A bets, B raises, A calls – Initiative passes to Player B
Advantages of initiative Note that if there was a raise before the flop and someone called, the action after the flop will usually revolve around the player who raised before the flop. All other players will tend to check, wanting to see what the player with the pre-flop initiative will do. This gives that player certain advantages: Having the initiative puts you in the driver's seat – everyone else will check, waiting for your move.
By betting and raising, you mask the true strength of your hand
Your aggression forces other players to make difficult decisions, giving them less control over the hand, making them more likely to make unprofitable decisions (-EV)
Initiative is the reason why continuation bets (Continuation Bet/Cbet) are so effective and why relative position is a factor you need to be aware of when playing Texas Hold'em poker. Initiative opens up many more opportunities to win pots after the flop, which would otherwise become your opponents' prey. In terms of importance, initiative can be equated to having position, so it is essential to properly evaluate this factor in every hand you play.
How to use initiative in poker It is impossible to provide exact instructions on when to use initiative and when not to. The main point of the article is to emphasize that in general, it is more profitable in poker to be the one making aggressive actions (bet/raise/reraise) rather than the one playing passively (check/call).
Here is an example of how gaining initiative before the flop allows you to win the pot after the flop:
$1/$2 No Limit Hold’em cash game – 6 Players
SB: $200
BB: $200
UTG: $200
MP: $200
CO: $200
Hero (BTN): $200
Pre Flop: ($3) Hero is BTN with J
J
1 fold, MP raises to $8, 1 fold, Hero raises to $25, 2 folds, MP calls $17
Flop: ($53) A
95
(2 players)
MP checks, Hero bets $40, MP folds
If the player with JJ had not taken the initiative before the flop in this situation, they would most likely face a continuation bet (Cbet) from the opponent after the flop and would have to make a difficult decision (usually folding). By re-raising before the flop (3bet), we gain the initiative, and after receiving the opponent's check, we make the continuation bet ourselves, which can easily force the opponent to fold stronger hands than ours (QQ/KK).
Overall assessment of initiative in poker In general, while learning poker and reading various poker articles or watching videos, you will not encounter initiative as often as, for example, position. However, in poker, besides position, there are certainly other equally important factors, and one of them is initiative. It is one of the main highlights of the philosophy “aggressive poker is winning poker“. By being aggressive, you gain an advantage in later betting rounds, which you can use to increase your chip stack, force your opponents to guess the strength of your hand, and make costly decisions. Of course, this does not mean you have to be aggressive with every hand, but as you gain more experience, you will select situations where initiative will be very profitable.
