How to value bet
A value bet is a bet you want called. Most of the money you win at poker comes from this one play, and most of what you leave behind comes from skipping it.
The test
Ask what calls. If you beat more than half of the hands that would call your bet, it is a value bet. Top pair with a good kicker on a dry board passes easily: weaker pairs and draws call, and few better hands exist.
How strong your hand looks does not matter. A hand that only gets called by better is not a value bet, whatever it is.
Choosing the size
A bigger bet wins more when called and is called by a stronger, narrower set of hands. The best size is the one where those two pull against each other the most in your favour.
On boards with many draws, bet larger: worse hands will pay to see the next card. With the very best hands on the river, bet as much as worse hands will still call. With a marginal hand, a small bet keeps the weak pairs in.
Two mistakes
The first is checking a strong hand out of fear that a better one is out there. If worse hands call more often than better hands raise, the bet makes money.
The second is betting a medium hand that folds out everything it beats. That turns a hand with showdown value into a bluff. Check it and let worse hands bet or see a cheap showdown.
Work it out
Terms in this guide
Practise it
Reading is the easy part. Play the hand of the day, or deal ten hands in the trainer and see which of these decisions cost you the most.