Secrets of Professional Tournament Poker, Volume 1 (35 page)

This is a great spot to check-raise all-in because even if called, you will usually have around 40-percent equity. Also, your opponent is going to fold a huge amount of the time, fearing you have something like a set and don’t want to see a river because there are many bad rivers for a set.

The hand could be much different if you had 300BBs instead. When you check-raise the turn then, you will have to raise to around 45BBs, and 52BBs out of your 300BB stack will be in the pot. The problem is that if your opponent pushes, you will barely have the correct odds to call. Making the turn check-raise with stacks this deep forces you to fold your hand or frequently fire a large river bluff. This is clearly not a good way to play the hand. It’s usually best to check-call the turn bet when very deep-stacked. Having a strong draw does not mean you have to shovel money into the pot all the time.

One final spot where check-raising can be a strong play is when facing an opponent who will fire two barrels every time you check to him. It’s usually acceptable against these players to check-call the flop with basically any hand with no showdown value, like a weak draw, with the intention of check-raising any missed turn as a stone bluff. Again, you must know your opponent well, and be sure not to risk too much of your stack on a bluff.

Check-raising the turn makes any hand look strong, regardless of previous action. Some players will always assume you have the nuts and will fold a huge range of hands. Be sure not to overuse this play. It will become a costly leak if players figure you out.

When You are Raised on the Turn

Against most opponents, when raised on the turn, you should be quick to get away from your hand unless you have a monster. Professional players win at tournament poker by picking up all the small pots and only putting a lot of money at risk with an exceptionally strong hand. Hence, it’s almost always correct to fold on the turn to a raise with a weak made hand.

Suppose you raise K
-J
from middle position and the big blind calls. The flop comes K
-10
-6
. Your opponent checks and you make a standard continuation bet. Your opponent calls and the turn is the 7
. Your opponent checks and you decide to bet instead of controlling the pot. (I suggest almost always pot-controlling because a worse hand is unlikely to call.) Quickly fold to a check-raise because most players will only raise the turn with a straight, set or two pair. Think about your opponent’s range in this situation and you will realize that is consists mostly of strong made hands.

If instead of top pair you had a stronger hand like 10-7, giving you two pair, I would still consider folding, especially against a passive opponent. If you know your opponent is loose and aggressive, capable of making moves in spots like this, you should usually go into call-down mode, hoping he is getting out of line, but a standard, tight opponent will almost always have you beat.

If you have the nuts, 9-8, on the board above and your opponent raises, strongly consider just calling, as he will usually fire another bet on the river and you are only worried about a river that pairs the board. If the board pairs, you should call a river bet, but if it is a blank, you can happily raise or go all-in. Since your opponent is saying he has a strong hand by raising the turn, be careful not to make him second-guess himself by re-raising.

I am rarely in this situation because I almost always pot-control the turn with my weak made hands, such as K-J on the K-10-6-7 board. If you play smart, you can easily dodge these traps your opponents are setting for you. Always think about their range of hands and you should easily stay out of trouble.

Calling with a Draw on the Turn

In the previous chapter I briefly discussed when you should check-raise with a draw on the turn. Here, I will explain some situations where it is usually better to just call on the turn with a draw instead of semi-bluffing. The main reason to not raise the turn with a draw is to prevent being forced off your hand.

Suppose you are 150BBs deep and your opponent raises to 3BBs from middle position. You call on the button with 10
-8
and see the J
-9
-3
flop heads-up.