Poker: The Check-Raise Part 2

The check-raise at the turn:
The turn is often considered as the "persona non grata" by fans of strategic poker play. Even though it is possible to make a check-raise at the flop, turn or the river, I will only use it very rarely at the turn. If the turn is check-raised, it is a lot more probable that it is a bluff rather than a raise to add value to a hand. This is down to Beluga's theory, which states that if you bet at the turn and you find yourself check-raised with a top pair in hand (or less), then it will be too weak to bring in the pot. The majority of players seem to know this (even if it is not consciously explicit in their minds); you can not make a check to give value to your hand. A poor hand will fold immediately after such a move, which means that you will not make a lot of profit by undertaking such a coup.

Take the following example with Hero sat at the small blind:

Hero's cads: King of Spades & Queen of Clubs

***distributed cards***
UTG Folds

MP folds

CO raises ($3.5) Pot= ($5)

BTN folds

Hero pays ($3) Pot= ($8)

BB folds

***Flop*** King of Clubs, 9 of Spades, 3 of Hearts

Hero checks

CO bets ($6) Pot= ($14)

Hero pays ($6) Pot= ($20)

***Turn*** Queen of Diamonds

Hero checks

CO bets ($14) Pot= ($34)

Hero raises ($44) Pot= ($78)

CO...

Suppose that CO, who is an excellent player, holds a King-Jack in this situation; can he settle simply to pay with such a hand? No! This means that it is harder for Hero to make a check-raise in at the turn to give value to his hand. This is because there are a limited umber of inferior hands to that of Hero's and which are able to follow a check-raise at the turn. In general, if you want to make a check-raise at the turn in order to bring value to your hand, you should assume that your opponent has a minimum of two pairs. The following hand is a good example:

Stack: 100 x the Big Blind (otherwise expressed as 100BB)

Small Blind places the small blind ($0.5)

Big Blind places the big blind ($1)

Cards dealt to Hero= 7 of Spades, 7 of Clubs

Hero raises ($3.5) Pot= ($5)

MP folds

CO folds

BTN pays ($3) Pot ($8)

SB folds

BB folds

***Flop*** Ace of Diamonds, Queen of Clubs, 7 of Hearts

Hero bets ($6) Pot= ($14)

BTN raises ($19) Pot= ($33)

Hero pays ($13) Pot= ($46)

 

***Turn*** 5 of Spades

Hero checks= ($46)

BTN bets ($32) Pot= ($78)

Hero goes All-In ($77.5) Pot= ($155.5)

At the flop Hero's bet is reraised. You can say to yourself that your opponent has done this as a bluff, or Ace-Queen, or maybe Ace-7. With Ace-Jack, you will be more tempted to simply pay the bet at the flop. Or ultimately, you can check the turn since it is highly probable that your opponent will bet with these two pairs or that he continues to bluff if he has nothing valuable in hand, which will then push you into going All-In. This line of play of bet-call then check-All In is, in my opinion, the only means of play with which you can genuinely make a check-raise at the turn and give value to your hand.

The same mode of play can equally be used in a bluff. You are the initial raiser and you make a continuation bet. Your opponent will never fold on a continuation bet and will not do so now. Assume that he makes a flat call with a strong hand and that he bets once you check at the turn. You check the turn, your opponent bets, and you make a check-raise in the guise of a bluff, since you believe that your opponents should choose to fold a great many hands in this situation.

There is also a third possibility for using the check-raise at the turn in full bluff, but it is a little complex and is not used in the vast majority of cases, except in High Stakes. If you know that your opponent is an aggressive post-flop player, exploit his weaknesses when he bets at the turn after you have made a check-raise.

But, as I have already said, only play in this fashion against opponents who play in an erratic, maniacal, manner, but who knows at the same time, how to fold a hand. Choose mostly to carry out this check-raise when playing a semi-bluff, which means that you can manage to obtain one of your outs in order to make a good complete hand. The following hand is a good example:

Hero places the small blind ($0.5)

BB places the big blind ($1)

Cards dealt to Hero= Queen of Spades, Jack of Spades

UTG folds

MP folds

CO raises ($3.5) Pot= ($5)

BTN folds

Hero pays ($3) Pot= ($8)

BB folds

***Flop*** 10 of Clubs, 8 of Spades, 3 of Hearts

Hero checks

CO bets ($6) Pot= ($14)

Hero pays ($6) Pot= ($20)

***Dealing Turn*** King of Spades

Hero checks

CO bets ($14) Pot= ($34)

Hero raises ($44) Pot= ($78)

In spite of the fact that your call at the flop is not the best of moves, you pay with a gut-shot draw and two over-cards and the turn offers a good outside-straight-draw (also known as an Open-ended Straight draw) and a colour draw. You also know that at the turn there is an excellent card to bet for your opponent, and this is the reason why a check-raise at the turn is recommended.

A check-raise at the turn can be an excellent move to give value to your hand or as a bluff. But do not make a habit of playing all your hands in this way. Often, a simple check-call will be a better alternative if your aim is to increase the value of the pot.

The best route you can take at the turn (bet-call the flop and check-raise the river) is very similar to check-raising the river. You can either bet/call at the flop and check the turn in order to check-raise the river. Or check the flop, bet/call the turn and check-raise the river. Both option are explained in the following article, simply follow the link to part three below...

 

The Check-Raise Part 1 The Check-Raise Part 2 The Check-Raise Part 3
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