Initiative in poker

INITIATIVE "Initiative" and "taking the initiative" are terms you will come across time and time again in your reading books about poker, browsing poker forums or by watching instructional poker videos. It has been argued that having the 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 your opponents?

What is an initiative? According to the dictionary, an initiative is an introductory/introductory action or step; a forward action. In poker, initiative is when a player shows the most aggression in each round of betting. Such a player represents the strongest hand and has "initiative in the hand".

How do I take the initiative? You simply need to make one last aggressive move in the betting round to take the initiative. This can be either a bet or a raise.

For example (A/B - players):

A raises, B calls - Player A has the initiative
A raises, B beats, A calls - Player B has the initiative
A misses a check, B raises, A calls, B calls - A has the initiative
A and B miss bets - neither player has the initiative

Basically, if you respond to an opponent's raise or miss a bet, you give the initiative to your opponent

When can I take the initiative? Usually the initiative is gained before the flop, as in most cases there will be someone who will make the call and someone who will respond to the call. However, this does not limit the possibility of taking the initiative in later betting rounds - flop, turn or river. It should also be added that the initiative is not static and can replace multiple players in a single hand, depending on who took the last aggressive action in the betting round.

Example of a change of initiative between players:

Pre-flop: Player A raises, Player B calls - Player A has the initiative
Flop: A bets, B raises, A calls - Player B takes the initiative

Benefits of the initiative Note that if there was a pre-flop raise and someone called, the post-flop action will usually revolve around the player who made the pre-flop raise. All other players will tend to skip bets to see what the player who had the lead before the flop will do. This gives that player an advantage: Having the initiative puts you in the driver's seat - everyone else will skip check bets, waiting for your word.

By betting and outbidding your opponents, you disguise the true strength of your hand Your aggressiveness forces other players to make difficult decisions, they have less control over the hand and will be more likely to make unprofitable solutions (-EV) Initiative is the reason why continuous bets (Continuation Bet/Cbet) are so effective and make relative position a factor to be aware of when playing Texas Holdem poker. The initiative opens up many more opportunities for post-flop pots that would otherwise fall prey to your opponents. Initiative can be equated in importance to holding position, so it is essential that this factor is properly considered in every hand.

How to seize the initiative in poker It is not possible to give precise instructions on which situations should be proactive and which should not. The main emphasis of the article is to stress that, in poker in general, it is more profitable to be the one who makes aggressive moves (bet/raise/reraise) than the one who plays passively (check/call).

The following is an example of how gaining the 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) A95(2 players)
MP checks, Hero bets $40, MP folds

In this situation, if the player with JJ had not taken the initiative before the flop, then after the flop he would usually be faced with the opponent's continuation bet (Cbet) and would have to make a difficult decision (usually fold). Hitting pre-flop (3bet) we get the initiative, and after an opponent's check, we make a continuation bet ourselves, after which we are free to force our opponent to fold hands stronger than ours (QQ/KK).

Overall rating of initiative in poker In general, learning poker and reading various poker articles or watching a video, you won't see initiative, like you would with a position. But in poker, there are certainly more important things besides position, and one of them is initiative. It is one of the basic philosophies "aggressive poker - winning poker" highlights. Being aggressive will give you an advantage in later betting rounds, which you can use to increase your chip stack, keep your opponents guessing about the strength of your hand and make costly decisions. Of course, this doesn't mean that you have to be aggressive with every hand, but as you gain more experience, you will find situations where being proactive will be very profitable.

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