Betting the Turn From Out of Position - Part V

Continuing this series of columns regarding how to play the turn from out of position, we'll consider this case:



You bet the flop and got raised, and you called.



Many players play automatically in this position, simply checking to the raiser on the turn. Resist this temptation, and make a poker decision instead. You still may end up checking most of the time, but you also will bet when it is right to do so.



Consider the possible reasons for betting the flop from out of position. There are four general possibilities:



1. You had a big hand.

2. You had a mediocre hand.

3. You had a draw.

4. You were bluffing.

1. You had a big hand: Since you bet a big hand and then called a raise, you probably were planning to check-raise the turn. Presumably, you used the criteria presented in my column "Three-Bet the Flop or Check-Raise the Turn?" to make your decision. Briefly, these criteria were:



• Number of opponents (more = three-bet)

• Vulnerability of your hand (more = three-bet)

• Probability that opponent wants a free card (more = three-bet)

• Chances that a scare card will hit (more = three-bet)

• Aggressiveness of raiser (more = check-raise)

• Your image (aggressive = three-bet)



In general, you should now check to fulfill your plan. (If you did not read or don't remember how to make the three-bet-the-flop versus check-raise-the-turn decision, you can find all of my columns at www.CardPlayer.com, including the previous columns of this series.)



2. You had a mediocre hand: You bet out and were raised, and you called. If this series has taught you anything, it's that you do not automatically check to the raiser on the turn. Let's look at some cases in which you may decide to bet:



(a) You improved.

(b) You suspect that your opponent wants a free card.

© A card came that enables you to represent a big hand.



(a) You improved: Assuming that you improved to a better hand than the one your opponent is representing, you have to decide whether or not to try for a check-raise. I generally prefer betting to check-raising, for several reasons:



• You may get raised again, in which case you can three-bet.

• Check-raising may cause an opponent with a marginal hand to fold, as he realizes that you were trapping him. Betting may induce enough uncertainty for you to get paid off.

• Betting provides balance for bluffs that you may want to make in this situation, which will be covered later in this column. If you always check-raise with a good hand, betting as a bluff loses credibility. Naturally, this holds true only if your opponents are observant, but that is exactly the kind of opponents you can bluff.

• He may check behind you, netting you no bets on this round.



If there are several players to trap between the preflop raiser and you, check-raising is more attractive. If you are heads up, I suggest that you bet, even though check-raising seem more clever and more fun.



(b) You suspect that your opponent wants a free card: This is always a tough situation. If your opponent wants a free card, you should bet. If he has a big hand, you will get raised again. A straightforward opponent will play this way, and you therefore should bet, preventing the free card and enabling you to fold if you get raised.



Unfortunately, many opponents are either aggressive or tricky. If you cannot trust your opponent enough to know that you should fold if he raises again, checking is better than betting and paying off all the way if raised. You will have to make the decision of whether to check and fold or call all the way based on the probability that your opponent is either bluffing or making thin value-bets after you check. There are many disadvantages of being out of position, and this is one of them.



© A card came that enables you to represent a big hand: The difference between this case and the previous one is that here, you are very unlikely to be raised, assuming that you would bet the big hand you are representing if you actually had made it. As a general rule, if you can bet and not get raised with a hand with which you would be calling anyway, bet.



3. You had a draw: You bet your draw and got raised. Now, on the turn, one of two things can happen:

(a) You made your draw.

(b) You missed.



(a) You made your draw: The temptation to check-raise is high, and if you can trap a few players for extra bets, check-raising is a good idea. Also, if the raiser is aggressive, you can check-raise.



Betting into the raiser may cost you a bet if he folds and would have bet had you checked, but it increases your credibility if you do get called to the river (or, even better, get raised at some point). Your willingness to bet good hands will pay off when you bluff, as in the next case.



(b) You missed: This is when all of that betting with good hands makes you more money. A single opponent raised preflop, and you called from the blind. You were heads up, flopped a draw, and bet. He raised, and you called.



Many players who raise preflop also raise on the flop to maintain control of the hand, either to play aggressively or to get a free card with A-K or A-Q. If your opponent could be such a player, and if the turn card is either innocuous or could have helped your hand, I suggest that you occasionally bet. Even though you are still on a draw, this bet suggests one of the following situations:



• You had a decent hand that improved.

• You just hit your hand.

• You have a decent hand and put your opponent on overcards or a draw.



Betting mimics the play that you are afraid of giving your opponent a free card, even though you would really prefer a free card yourself. You are going to call anyway, so betting does not cost you anything unless he was going to check (in which case he now may fold), or he raises. If he does raise, you will call and hope to draw out.



The number of times that he will fold makes this play a worthwhile addition to your poker arsenal. Remember, you can make this tricky semibluff only if you are known as a player who frequently bets his good hands on the turn. If opponents believe that you check-raise good hands on the turn, this play will not have credibility.



If you have more than one opponent, semibluffing again makes little sense. Check and hope for a free card. If someone bets, as they will most of the time, you will need to assess your chances of making your hand in terms of pot odds, and the chances that your hand will be good if you make it. This is just sound poker, but many players forget to count the pot and make a correct mathematical decision, which is what this situation calls for.



4. You were bluffing: I have included this category for completeness, and, indeed, it is possible in some circumstances to bet the flop as a pure bluff and call a raise. However, it is both rare and beyond the scope of this column to discuss what those circumstances may be. If you bluff at the flop and get raised, by far the best policy is to fold. So, I will not cover the case in which you have called the raise and now face a decision on the turn.



Next time, this series will conclude with a look at your play on the turn after you bet the flop from out of position and were raised, and you reraised.



Barry offers poker lessons tailored to the specific strengths and weaknesses of the individual student. Please visit his web site at www.barrytanenbaum.com or e-mail him at [email protected].