When faced with a borderline decision against a big bet on the river, a great question to ask yourself is, “What can I beat?” Say you have second pair with top kicker, and mostly the hand has been checked down by your opponent, who all of a sudden leads out on the river. Running through the range of online pokerhands that it might be possible for your opponent to hold, and then comparing that to what hands of those you can beat, can help narrow down those middle spots where often the call is a coinflip in the dark when playing poker online. Many times in this kind of poker situation you will be up against either a big hand that has been slowplayed, a big hand that has made it on the river, or a bluff. What card has come down that your opponent is now betting out on? Does it complete a big flush or straight draw? Did you protect your hand early on, and is your opponent the type that would pay to see those draws play out? Is he the type that would slowplay and then bet big on the river even if his hand is not the nuts? If you ask yourself, “What can I beat?” and find that the answer is “very little,” the decision comes down to whether you believe your opponent could bluff in his spot, or if you actually have a hand that couldn’t possibly win.
