The Free Card
Often you’re in a situation against players who make large bets with the lead, making it difficult to draw to bigger hands. Getting a free card is a way around this issue. The free card is a way of showing strength early in the hand because you want to get a free card on the next betting round. The free card works so well because opponents expect an aggressive better to continue to be aggressive. Most free card tactics will be employed from the late positions because they don’t work as well in the early ones. If you’re playing at a loose table, the free card can be difficult to achieve on a regular basis.
Betting the flop with drawing hands can serve two purposes. First, your opponents may choose to raise you if they have a better, yet vulnerable, hand than yours. This allows you to decide if there are enough other players in the hand for you to remain or muck. Secondly, if your plan works and you get called and checked to the next round, you get a free chance to draw to your low percentage outs, while spending half the bets to get there.
You would look to employ this tactic in situations where you have second pair with an over card or even two over cards. Straight or flush draws are another situation where you could use a free card to help your hand. It‘s important to keep all this in mind when you find yourself on the other side of the coin. Do your best not to give free cards to your opponents, unless you have a complete monster.