Texas Hold'em Guide - The Turn

Before the turn comes, you should make your best determination of what cards your opponent(s) might have to play the hand the way they have so far. You should come up with several possible starting hands for them and narrow them down by the way they have played the hand. What do you think they might have called/raised with on the flop? Now, consider the turn card. What hands could be out that could beat you? Is it likely that anyone holds one of those hands based on the way they have played on the flop and so far on the turn? What you think your opponents are likely to have should guide you as to whether to check, bet, or raise on the turn.

Taking the lead and being aggressive

Typically on the turn, if you have top pair with the best kicker or an overpair, there is no reasonable straight or flush on the board, and no one is aggressive but you, you will probably have the best hand, so bet. You will win more than your share in these cases. That makes your bet here profitable. If you get raised, you would usually fold unless you feel you could beat some of the hands your opponent would raise with.

As long as you have what appears to be the best hand, bet. Put your money in the pot. You want to continue to play aggressively on the turn. You don't need as strong of a hand to bet out as you do to call an opponent's bet. In addition to the probability that you may have the best hand, when you bet, you have the added possibility that your opponent(s) may fold. If someone bets in front of you, you will typically want to raise if you think you have them beat, if not, you should fold. Raise or fold.. calling is usually the worst option (unless you have a valid draw). [MJ: Calling is an ok option if you don't know where you stand.] You want to be the aggressor until something better shows up on the board and/or someone raises your bet.

When you have callers on the flop, and a card comes off on the turn that could complete your opponent's flush and/or a reasonable straight (like not something you would need a 5,8 to complete), you should check and call (or fold). When a cold caller starts aggressing when a card comes off on the turn that appears to complete their draw, you should seriously consider folding unless you have reason to believe the aggressor is bluffing.

Stopping and responding to aggression

When someone raises your bet on the turn, folding is often correct unless you have a very strong hand, one you could reraise with (a monster they can not reasonably see). You usually only want to call if you have enough outs to draw out on the hand your opponent is probably raising with. [MJ: If your opponent is tricky or a habitual bluffer, you should call the raise however.] You must be able to accurately read the board and quickly determine exactly what hands could beat you (possible straights, flush, if there is a pair on board, you could be looking at a full house or 4 of a kind etc.). When someone raises your bet or raise, they are telling you "I have you beat", and you don't want to put any more money than you have to into the pot because it will often be true. So unless you have a huge hand, just check and call from then on (or fold if you think your hand is beat).

If you check and call, it minimizes the amount of money you have to put into the pot. You only want to pay the minimum amount to try to improve and finally make your opponent show down a better hand than you. And this is only in the case that you have a very strong hand. If you get raised with a marginal hand, fold out immediately. Of course in the case that you are sure you have the better hand, like when you have the pure nuts, go ahead and raise it as much as you can. But if you are not sure, check and call. Once again, folding immediately in situations where you are likely beaten is often the best play. It is easy to bet a good hand in poker, but much more difficult to throw a good one away that is beaten.

Successful poker is every bit as much about minimizing your losses as it is maximizing your profits. Everyone is good at maximizing their profits when they have good hands, but few are good at letting go of second best hands. You should always consider what the other player might have that could beat you.

Trapping on the turn

The turn is also a good place to check-raise and gain extra bets when you have a very strong hand that is not obvious. For instance, when you pair your kicker on the turn to make two pair, your hand is well concealed. You will usually be giving up on a lot of semi-bluffs, bluffs and value bets for mediocre hands that did not improve on the turn. So if you check your really strong hands as well (especially into a multiway pot), by showing weakness when your hand is concealed, you are likely to get a bet from one of your opponents allowing you to check raise and gain extra bets when you have the best hand. You can often force drawing opponents in a multiway pot to pay a double bet by getting in a check raise on the turn. Make sure if you check with the intention of raising that there is someone you expect to bet, you don't want to give a free card to a drawing hand on the turn.

If your hand is weak and you don't have a good draw, Check and FOLD. If you think your hand is likely beaten, determine the number of outs that will give you any hand you would expect to win the pot. Do the math, and call only if it is profitable.

Using your pot odds to make the right move

The math to determine hand odds is the same as it is for the flop except there are 46 unseen cards on the turn. If you have a flush draw, you have 9 outs (and 37 no help cards), so 37 / 9 = 4.11. You have 4.11 to 1 odds to make your flush, so if your opponent bets and there are 4 big bets in the pot, that's 5 to 1 pot odds and a clear case to call. You should call on the turn any time the pot odds are offering you greater odds than the odds that you will make your draw. If the pot is raised, or if you can expect the pot to be raised behind you, you must factor this into your pot odds.

In the example above, if there are 4 big bets in the center, and the pot is bet and raised in front of you, that is 4 big bets + 4 more big bets (assuming the original better will call) = 8 big bets to the 2 big bets you will have to call. Your pot odds in this case are 4 to 1. You will have a much better idea of your implied pot odds on the turn than you did on the flop because there is only one final betting round, and you can usually count on a call on the river unless it will be quite obvious that you made your draw.

In this case of your flush draw where the pot is raised, you are only getting 4 to 1 pot odds, and you are 4.11 to 1 against making your flush, but if you think at least one of your opponents will call on the river if you make your hand, your implied pot odds will be 9 big bets to the 2 you must call, giving you 4.5 to 1 implied pot odds and a call would be correct. If you think both of your opponents will fold if the flush card comes off on the river, you should not call the raise on the turn.

The most common draws are listed in a table below with their number of outs and odds to complete. You will often draw for flush or straight (outside) draws and with a set against a flush or straight. There are other types of draws such as a pair using a board card to make two pair or trips, an overpair vs. two pair, and overcards. These types of draws are usually not advisable unless the pot is offering very good odds, and you have to be sure about your opponent's hand, and consider any chance your opponent might have to redraw against you. Again, you don't draw at a straight when a two flush is on the board, unless the pot is big enough to justify drawing with only 6 outs instead of the usual 8. Also, never draw to the low end of a straight.

If you are not drawing for a straight, flush or full house, you need to have a good read on your opponent's hand. If you are wrong about the strength of your opponent's hand, you might make your draw and still lose. For instance, lets say you have KK and open-raised preflop from an early position. Two players call and so does the big blind. The flop comes 7,8,2 rainbow. The big blind bets, you raise, the other two hands fold, and the big blind reraises. You call and the turn brings a 3 of the fourth suit, and the big blind bets out on the turn. You are thinking that your opponent probably has 78 down (maybe suited, but that doesn't matter now). If you are correct about your opponent's cards, you have 8 outs (2, 3 or K gives you top two pair or trips), and this is a case for calling. But if you think your opponent has a small pair and made a set on the flop, you only have two outs (you need a king), and you should fold. Maybe the same situation but the flop comes T, 5, 2, as it is more likely for someone to call your preflop raise with something like 55 or TT than with something like T5. It is very important to think of what cards your opponent might hold. Always consider their position and how they have played the hand, as well as what cards are on the board.

What to do when the board pairs

When the board pairs low on the turn, it will usually help the top pair (or overpair) hand. Board pairs are no good for straights and often no good for flush draws, but when the board pairs on the turn or river, it might make 3 of a kind, a full house, or quads for an opponent. The more players that see the flop and the higher the board pair is, the more likely it is that you could be against trips or better. As always, it depends on your exact situation, but usually if you have top pair or an overpair, and the board pairs a low card on the turn, it will give you two pair, and usually not give your opponents trips.

It is unlikely that a player would be in the hand with a card of the appropriate rank, but that doesn't mean it won't happen. It is usually a profitable assumption that no one will be in the hand with something like a 7-2 that pairs on the turn, and the board pair will give you two pair with a good kicker and you will want to continue to bet because you will win more than your fair share of money in these situations. If you believe you are in the lead, you want to continue to be aggressive until someone raises and changes your mind. But proceed with caution.

If another player raises your bet after the board pair hits, especially if they were in a blind, they could very well have three of a kind, so usually fold unless you think your hand is best. Players sometimes bluff to represent trips when the board pairs, so if you are not sure, but you have a great hand, just check and call your way to the river, and show down your cards.

But lets say instead, it is a 10 that pairs on the board on the turn in a similar situation (the board pairs on the turn and makes you 2 pair). It is not unlikely that someone is in the hand with A,10 or K,10 or J,10 and makes trips, a full house, so you probably won't win your fair share of bets going into the pot in these situations. So in situations like this where you might have the best hand, but something better shows up on the board, just check and call to the river. Sometimes in this situation if you are out of position and have few outs and are against only one or two opponents it is better to bet out and fold if you are raised. Again, try to think of what cards your opponent might have from the way they have played the hand up to now.

Making a good hand on the turn

If you improve on the turn and complete your hand so that you have a big hand like a flush or the nut straight, or full house, you will usually want to bet out. Don't check and hope to check raise, because with a board pair or possible straight or flush on the board (any scary board), your opponent(s) will likely check behind you and you will lose bets. You can (and should) check-raise on the turn if your hand is not obvious. Bet it up until something better appears on the board, like if you have the nut straight with a two flush on board and the third flush card comes on the turn. You will usually want to check and call to the river. It was profitable to keep betting and raising until the flush showed up, so you now check, and you will still win if no one has the flush, so you call.

Next: The River