Play on the flop is the most important play to master in Texas Hold'em. Once you see the flop, you know 70 percent of your possible hand. This is the time you need to decide whether you are going to continue with your hand or throw it away. This is also the time where it is possible to determine how much the hand could possibly cost you to see all the way to the river. Here are a few things to consider after the flop comes down.

When you have a good flop
If you hit your hand, you should usually bet. Unless you flop a monster (nearly unbeatable hand), you want to make your opponents pay for the privilege of seeing more cards. For example, let's say you have A, 10 unsuited and the flop comes A, 7, 8 with two spades. You must bet. It would be a big mistake to slow play (not bet in order to trap opponents for additional bets) this hand. If you check here, these are the possible things that could happen. First, everyone could check. This would be bad for a number of reasons. For one, when you have the best hand, you want money in the pot. Secondly, opponents who are drawing to a straight or flush will get a free draw for their hand, and get a free chance to beat you. Third, if someone now bets, you won't know if it is because they have a strong hand or because you showed weakness. If you check-raise here and they call, it will be very difficult to put them on a hand. On the other hand, if you bet here, you may get calls from under-pairs (pairs lower than yours) which would be great, or from straight or flush draws, which would be OK too, since your odds to win the hand are better than theirs. Your goal in betting is twofold, to thin the field, so that fewer cards can come out that will beat you, and to get more money in the pot from hands that are unlikely to beat you. If you have a hand like top pair or an over-pair to the board, you should bet it.

Let's say you do flop a monster. Suppose you have 8, 8 and the board comes 8, 7, 7 with two hearts. You have flopped a full house, which is very difficult to beat. This is a good opportunity to slow play. Most free cards you give now will help you, as if your opponents improve to a flush or a straight, they will pay you off. Even if an Ace or King comes you will probably get paid by someone with only a pair of Aces or Kings. Note that this is very different from a flop of 8, 7, 3 with two hearts. In this case you only have a set (three of a kind with a pair in your hand matching a card on the flop), and should bet, as a heart or a straight card will beat you.

When the flop is not so good
What if you miss the flop entirely? Let’s say you have 9, 9 and the flop comes A, K, 8. It's generally safe to throw this hand away if someone bets ahead of you. If someone calls that bet, your hand is definitely no good. If you bet before the flop and it's checked to you on the flop, it is often correct to put out a probing bet, since most flops miss most people most of the time, but if you even get smooth called (as opposed to raised) you should not commit any more money to this hand unless you improve.

In Fixed Limit poker, rather than No Limit poker, there is no need to get too fancy. Your money will come from mathematically correct plays that win extra bets when you win, and save bets when you lose. Tactics like bluffing and slow playing should be used sparingly in Fixed Limit games, as the payoffs that come when they work are simply not as great at the pay-offs that come from playing a mathematically sound game of poker.

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