The river in poker is the last community card dealt in a flop game. It is sometimes called fifth street, as it is the last of the five community cards for use by all players.

In games like Texas Hold’em and Omaha, the dealer will give each player their face-down hole cards. After a round of betting, the dealer will display the first three community cards (third street). After the option of more betting, the dealer delivers a single turn card (fourth street), and the same action then leads to the river (fifth street). That river provides the last opportunity for betting before one player must show a winning hand and take the pot.

In draw games like Stud, the river card is the final card that the dealer provides to each player still in the hand.

The Importance of the River in Poker Strategy

The river card provides the last opportunity to bet, bluff, get aggressive, or slow down the betting. There are no more cards, no more chances to make a hand or decipher your opponent’s hand. This is the time for the final decision to be made to try to win the pot.

This is the most important time to be able to calculate pot odds. By determining your chance of winning as compared to the amount of money in the pot and any bet or raise you’re facing, this will help you choose to check, bet, raise, or fold. While pot odds are important along the way, the river is the last chance to use those odds, along with any reads on your opponent to make a final stab at the pot.

How To Play the River in Texas Hold’em

Pot odds should be a significant determinant in your Texas Hold’em river play strategy, but position is also important. Early position gives you more control over how the river betting – or lack thereof – will go, while late position lets you base your move on that of your opponent. At that point, you should have some type of read on him or her, as to their hand strength and possible range.

If your opponent has been aggressive throughout the betting rounds, you can take advantage of that to grow the pot further if you have the nuts. If you didn’t make your hand, you can bluff or escape without putting any more chips at risk. 

A weak opponent – one who has simply been calling every bet along the way – could be a good target for a bluff. Again, if you have the nuts, you can pull one more call out of him or her to collect the maximum value from the hand and the pot.

The river is the final opportunity to complete the story that you’ve been telling throughout the hand. You can give up, or you can finish strong, using all of the information you’ve collected during every round of betting.

Common Mistakes to Avoid on the River

The most common mistake that players make on the river is feeling that they must bet. Without the nuts, there is no need to bet. Moreover, there is no requirement to bet anything. Many players check the river if they are unsure about their opponent’s holding or how that player may react to a bet.

Another mistake is allowing your opponent to make the nuts on the river. If you’ve gone along with bets on the flop and turn with your opponent chasing a flush or straight, allowing them to get to the river cheaply and make that hand is a mistake. Some players then feel that they must keep going, but it is okay to pull back. A mistake on the flop and even on the turn is not a mandate to follow through on the river. You can fold.

Finally, players might continue a betting pattern on the river instead of making a splash at the end. If you feel you have the best hand, the river bet is the time to make the most money, to extract the maximum amount of chips from your opponent. 

Betting Strategies for the River in Poker

There are many strategies to employ on the river in poker, but we have a few top river poker tips to share here.

• Define your opponent’s range. Use all of the information gleaned from previous betting rounds – how they used position, how they sized their bets, the speed of their actions, any tells – to determine the range within which they are playing.
• Use pot odds. By figuring out the odds of winning the pot based on the amount you must bet or raise as compared to the amount of the pot, you can incorporate math to let the odds make the final decision for you.
• Play on your opponent’s weaknesses. If you’ve paid attention thus far, you might know that they are hesitant to risk all of their chips or, conversely, they might call any bet. Use that information to check, bet, raise, or fold based on what your opponent fears the most.

The river is also the best chance to finish a semi-bluff or pull off a total bluff. You can follow the minimum defense frequency (MDF) concept to compare the risk versus reward, but you should also be mindful of blockers and your opponent’s tendencies. It’s wise to study more about river bluffing strategy in poker before you try to do it for consequential stakes.

Registering with BetMGM Poker To Play Legal Games Online

As is the case with most concepts and strategies in poker, it’s best to try them online first. You don’t have to physically face your opponents, and you can play for micro stakes to gain experience and try your river bluffs and strategies.

Since it is regulated and legal in several states, you can play poker online at BetMGM any time of the day or night. And when you first create your account, check for a poker welcome bonus code to make the most of your deposit opportunity.