PokerCoaching Quiz: Facing A Tricky Turn Lead With Top Pair

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Key Concept: Facing A Tricky Turn Lead With Top Pair

You are six-handed late in a $1,000 buy-in poker tournament. You have 1,300,000 chips with the blinds at 15,000-30,000 when it folds to you in the hijack seat with A 10.

Question 1: Should you fold, call, raise to 70,000, or raise to 90,000?

Answer: Your A 10 should be raised every time. While a 90,000 raise is permissible, a smaller raise with a short-to-medium stack is usually ideal for numerous reasons, such as letting your opponents call with far inferior hands while also giving you better odds to steal the blinds when you happen to have a weaker hand. 

You raise to 70,000 and only the small blind calls. The flop comes 10 9 8 and the small blind checks.

Question 2: Should you check, bet 70,000, bet 140,000, or bet 210,000?

Answer: You should mostly bet with your best made hands and draws on coordinated boards that connect well with your opponent’s range. While you will be in a difficult spot if you bet and get raised due to the small blind’s range likely containing many premium hands, a bet can also get called by many worse hands. On coordinated boards, you should usually use a decently large size, but non-gigantic bet size, which in this case is 140,000. 

You bet 140,000 and your opponent calls. The turn is the 6 and your opponent leads into you for 85,000.

Question 3: Should you fold, call, raise to 200,000, or go all-in?

Answer: When the turn completes numerous draws for your opponent, leading with a wide range of premium hands, marginal but likely best hands, and draws becomes a viable strategy. Unless your opponent is leading with only the nuts, you should continue a decent amount of the time due to your pot odds.
With your top pair and flush draw, folding is out of the question. Raising does not make sense because it may result in your opponent reraising, putting you in a tough spot. When you have a clear marginal made hand and an excellent draw, call and continue to the river. 

You call and the river is the 2. Now your opponent checks.

Question 4: Should you check, bet 125,000, bet 250,000, or bet 375,000?

Answer: This is an intriguing spot as you often have the best hand. The problem though is sometimes your opponent will show up with two pair or better that will call almost any bet. Against a strong player, it is wise to check behind when you do not have a good read on what they may have. When facing weak, straightforward players who will almost never have a straight, perhaps making a small value bet has a little merit as long as they can call with many worse made hands. In this spot, however, most players will fold one-pair hands. Checking behind is ideal. 

You check and your opponent reveals K Q, awarding you a nice pot. 

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