Limit Versus No-Limit - Part IV Play on the Turn

This is the fourth in a series of columns comparing limit hold'em to no-limit hold'em. It is aimed at experienced limit players who have decided to make the switch to no-limit. In the first three columns, we covered some of the general differences between the two games, as well as some of the differences in preflop and flop play. In this column, we will focus on some of the specifics of play on the turn. This is not meant to be an instruction guide on how to play no-limit hold'em. Its purpose is to point out some of the profound differences between the two poker forms. My assumption is that we are dealing with big-stack hold'em, in which you and your opponents have at least 50 times the big blind in your stacks.



1. Turn Betting

In limit hold'em, you have no decision to make except whether or not to bet. The amount you bet is determined. In no-limit, if you decide to bet, you have to determine how much. Turn betting is a far more difficult decision in no-limit than limit. Usually, the turn bet should be a smaller proportion of the pot than the flop bet. This is because your opponent has only one card left to draw out on you. For example, if you bet two-thirds of the pot on the flop and get called, you should usually bet a smaller percentage of the pot on the turn, assuming your opponent is drawing. With only one card and one betting round remaining, bets don't have to be as large a percentage of the pot to make drawing unprofitable for your opponent. This assumes that your opponent knows he is drawing. If, on the other hand, he thinks his hand is the best but you know it isn't, you can make a large bet or even go all in.



2. Checking the Turn – Part I

In limit, especially when the pot is heads up, it is frequently wrong to check the turn. Giving free cards is a no-no in limit, especially if you have been checked to. In no-limit, the situation is far less clear. Oftentimes, with top pair or even an overpair, checking the turn is correct. First, you may be the one who needs the free card since your hand may not be the best. Oftentimes, the pot was raised preflop and then bet on the flop. If your opponent has been just calling, he may be planning to check-raise you on the turn, where he believes you are more "pot-committed." Second, by checking, you may induce a bet on the river from a weaker hand, like top pair, weak kicker. Finally, a good no-limit player does not like building big pots with one pair. As stated in previous columns, one pair is not a strong hand once all the boardcards are out, even when you have only one opponent.



3. Checking the Turn – Part II

This is such an important play that it deserves more elaboration. Consider the following hand that came up at a $2-$5 game at

the Venetian in Las Vegas:



You are in the cutoff seat with the A K in a game in which you and your opponents are deep-stacked. Two early-position players and a middle-position player limp in. You raise to $30 and only one early-position player and the middle-position player call. There is $100 in the pot and three players.



The flop is K 5 3, giving you top pair, top kicker. It is checked to you and you bet $60. The early-position player raises to $150 and the other player folds. With more than $300 in the pot, you call for another $90. There is $400 in the pot and two players.



The turn is the 2. Your opponent now checks. In no-limit, the right play is to check. If you bet, you could get check-raised for a large amount, and perhaps even face an all-in bet. You will then have a very painful decision to make as to whether or not to call. If he has a flush, you have only seven outs and would be making a huge mistake by calling. On the other hand, if he is semibluffing a draw, you are making a big mistake by folding. If he has various two-pair hands, you may have enough outs to call. By betting, you set yourself up to get trapped into making a huge mistake. By checking, you avoid all these complications and give yourself a chance to make the nut flush and win a large pot on the river. In the actual hand, our hero bet and his opponent went all in for $1,000. He agonized for more than 10 minutes and reluctantly called for all of his money. The river was a blank and his opponent won a giant pot with the Q J.



With this hand in a limit game, you have an automatic bet and an easy call if you get raised. You easily could have the best hand and you have a ton of outs if you don't. There's nothing to think about.



In no-limit, avoiding traps and losing your chance to make a big hand on the river outweigh protecting your hand when it happens to be the best. In limit, it is just the opposite.



4. Getting Trapped on the Turn

Here is a situation that comes up a lot in hold'em, both limit and no-limit. You are in a $2-$5 no-limit game. You have the K 9 in the cutoff seat and limp in behind three other players. The button limps in and the small blind folds. There is $30 in the pot. The flop is 8 4 3. Everyone checks. The turn is the K, giving you top pair. An early-position player bets $30 and everyone folds to you. The right play is to fold. This is a small pot, you have little invested, and you are in a situation where, if your hand is the best, you don't figure to win much money. The irony is that you may well have the best hand, but so what? You cannot take any heat with this hand. Suppose that the other players fold and the river is a blank. Your opponent now makes a pot-sized bet of $90. Is your hand still good? Were you outdrawn? Are you being bluffed? The combination of a small pot with a weak hand and being bet into with other players yet to act makes calling bad poker. You could be behind with insufficient outs to continue, you could get outdrawn on the river, and/or you could be faced with a tough decision on the river if your opponent decides to bluff. In limit poker, your opponent could bet only $10 on the turn or river, and you might be getting some decent pot odds to play.



5. Multiway Turn Play

When someone bets the turn into a multiway pot after the flop has been bet, the no-limit player has to fold hands with which a limit player would routinely call. Here is an example: You have the A J in a $2-$5 no-limit game and limp in from middle position behind two other players. The cutoff and button limp in, and the small blind folds. There is $30 in the pot and six players.



The flop is A 8 6, giving you top pair, decent kicker. It is checked to you and you bet $20. Only an early-position player folds. There is $130 in the pot and five players.



The turn is the 4. The big blind comes out betting $100 and the next player folds. You also should fold. The big blind is making it clear that he is willing to play a big pot, and you have two players behind you. Your hand is difficult to improve, and it could get very expensive after you call. In limit, you have a reasonable call, since there are seven big bets in the pot and it costs you only one bet to play.