Tip # 45 of 52, Playing a longshot hand on the river.

Longshot hands are those you feel are highly unlikely to be the best on the river, based on both the value of your holding and the action in the hand. Typical longshot hands might include 9-9 when the board is K-Q-6-6-5, or Q-J when the board is A-J-T-9-6.

When you are in last position and it has been checked to you, you should check as well. Although you Don't have a strong hand, you do have enough to show down. Thus, betting as a bluff is not a good option. Opponents who have your hand beat will call, and those who do not will fold. All that can happen is for you to lose a bet here. Just as in Tip 43, check, and hope that nobody has much.

If another player has bet, you have a far more difficult decision to make. You can't automatically call as you would with a toss-up hand, as you are beat here the vast majority of the time. Rather, you must determine whether the price you are receiving from the pot justifies your call. In a good number of cases, it is a close decision. If you never fold a winning hand here (that is, if you always call in these longshot situations), you are calling too often. The times you spend a bet "keeping them honest" will add up to more than what you win when your hand is good. However, by following the action and focusing on your opponents' playing styles, you should make the right decision most of the time.

Sometimes you reach what looks like a break-even situation; that is, the price the pot offers seems to match the amount you must invest to call. (For example, the pot offers 9-to-1 and you think you will win 10 percent of the time.) In these cases, consider an additional factor. When other players remain to act behind the bettor and you, lean towards folding your hand. The reason for this is that someone might overcall, and if that happens, it is almost certain that your longshot hand is no good. If you are the last player to act, you can call more often with your longshot hand if you feel the pot odds are close.