Betting the Turn From Out of Position - Part VI

This column concludes my look at betting the turn from out of position. This area of the game is one of the most difficult, and I took a systematic approach to deciding whether to bet or check if you were first to act on the turn. In Part I through Part V, I explored cases in which:



• You checked the flop, and you called.

• You checked the flop, and you raised.

• You checked the flop, and no one bet.

• You bet the flop, and no one raised.

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



You can find all of these columns at www.CardPlayer.com.



For this final column, I will discuss the remaining topic, which is: You bet the flop, got raised, and you reraised.



Generally, when you reraise on the flop, you do so with the intention of betting the turn. Examining all of the cases, as before, will disclose if there are any exceptions.



As before, for completeness, we will look at the following reasons why you may have bet the flop:



1. You had a big hand.

2. You had a mediocre hand.

3. You had a draw.

4. You were bluffing.



You had a big hand: Heads up, you will rarely find a reason to check the turn. There are always a few, such as, you had Q-Q and three-bet a flop of K-Q-10. A jack on the turn may make you stop and think, but you should just bull ahead with a bet and worry about it if you get raised. You would call and have a tough decision on the river if you do not fill up, but checking the turn does not give an opponent who's holding K-10 a chance to fold, and gives him a free chance to beat you.



Multiway, these four-card straights and flushes become much more problematic. Let's say that you open-raise from early position with the K K. A middle-position player and two late-position players call, and the blinds fold. The flop of 9 8 7 does not thrill you, but you bet. One player calls, and the next one raises. The last player folds, and you reraise. Both remaining players call.

The turn card is the 6, putting an open-end straight on the board. Nothing says that someone necessarily has a 10 here, but betting would force you to face a raise most of the time, with a good chance that you are drawing dead. Checking works, with a plan to call one bet and fold to a bet and a raise. If the turn were the 10 instead, checking and folding would be automatic against all but the wildest players. More players call raises with jacks than they do with tens. Correct or not, opponents call raises with A-J, K-J, Q-J, J-10, and J-9 suited.



You had a mediocre hand: You could have several reasons to reraise with a mediocre hand. The two most common are:



a. Your opponent may be trying for a free card.

b. You are trying to eliminate callers.



Your opponent may be trying for a free card: Most of the time when you are raised on the flop, you will not be sure whether you are ahead and your opponent is trying for a free card, or you are behind. Reraising and betting out can help you to determine which one is correct. If your opponent needed a free card, betting ensures that he does not get it. If he has you beat, he may raise to alert you to that fact.



This is one of several areas in which playing from out of position is so difficult. If you just call his flop raise and check the turn, you are giving away too many free cards. If you always reraise and bet the turn, you oftentimes are paying a premium to play the worst hand. A compromise, calling his raise and betting the turn, was covered in Part V of this series.



One of the keys here is what sort of opponent you have. If he had a good hand, would he raise or wait for the turn? Many opponents wait to raise after the bets double, making his flop raise suspicious and your reraise and turn bet more plausible. This is especially true in aggressive games, in which opponents often raise the flop to retake control, even with marginal hands.



The texture of the flop and the nature of the turn card will guide you on the turn. If you put your opponent on either a better hand or a draw, and the draw gets there, check and fold.



You are trying to eliminate callers: This situation is more difficult, so an example may help. You raise from middle position with the 10 10. In an unwelcome development, three callers come in behind you, and the big blind calls, as well. The flop is J 8 7. The big blind checks, you bet, and after two players call, the button raises. The big blind folds, and you reraise to eliminate possible overcards and gutshot draws from the remaining two callers. You may be ahead or behind here, but if you can get two players out, your equity in the remaining pot increases when you are ahead.



If you succeed, bet the turn heads up. If they both called, you almost certainly are in trouble and should check-fold the turn unless you pick up a straight draw or a set on the turn.



You had a draw: You reraise with a draw under several circumstances, the most common of which are:



a. You had a huge draw.

b. You were semibluffing heads up.



In almost all circumstances, having gone this far, bet the turn. If the pot is multiway and you are sure that you can't win with a bet, you may want to try for an "inverse free card." Heads up, you are better off continuing the bluff unless your opponent, once he calls your flop raise, always calls to the end.



You were bluffing: I realize that some of you think it is unlikely that you would reraise-bluff, but it certainly is better than calling. If you decide that it is worth representing something, typically either an ace or a card matching a small pair on board, continuing your bluff is the only way to win.



This play is advanced. Make it only if you know your opponent quite well, and your image is such that he knows you would play the hand exactly this way if you actually held it.



The flop is 9-5-5, and you, holding Q-8, bet the flop and reraise when he raises. You can do this only if you also play this way if your hand were Q-5. Many players try to represent a 5 here, but if they actually have one, they wait and try to check-raise the turn. More importantly, your opponent must believe that you would play a 5 this way, whether you would or not, and he must be capable of laying a decent hand down.



Conclusion: That concludes this six-part series. Here's a summary of the main points:

• Playing from out of position is tough. You oftentimes are guessing about the right play.

• No matter what your plan was on the flop, you need to evaluate the impact of the turn card before you play.

• Don't automatically check to the player who raised on the flop. Always think about both of your options.

• Bluffing from out of position has more credibility than bluffing while in position.

• Exploit overly aggressive players. Check and give them a chance to make an error.

• Balance is critical. If you are going to bluff in a specific situation, you must bet a good hand in the same situation.

• When you make a big hand on the turn, betting is often better than check-raising. Take the time to decide, and don't automatically go for check-raises.



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].