How To Play Turn
The Power Of Initiative
If your last action was to bet or raise in the previous betting round, then you have the initiative in the current betting round. If your last action in the previous round was to call, then the player you called has the initiative instead. If your last action was to check, it means nobody has the initiative but the only thing that matters is whether YOU have the initiative or not.
You have the initiative: Your last action in the previous betting round was to bet or raise and nobody has bet before you in the current round.
You don’t have the initiative (1): Your last action in the previous betting round was to call or check.
You don’t have the initiative (2): A player bets before you in the current round. |
Having the initiative is a great psychological advantage because it leaves your opponents in a passive state where they are prone to folding if their hands don’t improve over the next community card. It gives you leverage to end the hand prematurely; that is without having to enter the showdown. This means that any initiative you might have had is lost if a player bets before you in the current round.
How To Play Turn - Charts & Examples
Once you find yourself on the turn you must pay careful attention to the community cards. Being able to tell whether the community cards are favourable or not is vital to your success as a poker player and to even read the chart presented further down the page you must be able to tell favourable and unfavourable community cards apart.
Unfavourable Community Cards
►2 community cards of the same rank. Your opponent could have a trips.
►3 community cards of the same rank. Your opponent could have a full house. Even if you have full house you will need a high pocket pair to ascertain that you have the winning hand. Preferably an over pair.
►2 pairs among the community cards. Your opponent could have a full house. Even if you have a full house you will need the higher trips to ascertain that you have the winning hand.
►3 coordinated community cards that can form a straight with 2 connected pocket cards of medium or high rank. Your opponent could have a straight. Even if you have a straight you need it to be the nut straight to ascertain that you have the winning hand.
►4 coordinated community cards that can form a straight with a medium or high pocket card. Your opponent could have a straight. Even if you have a straight you need it to be the nut straight to ascertain that you have the winning hand.
►3-4 suited community cards. Your opponent could have a flush. Even if you have a flush you will need a high pocket card of that suit to ascertain that you have the winning hand.
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Click here for printable version of the complete limit cash game handout (including the chart below).
You have the initiative (no bets before you):
| Your hand |
Correct action |
| Any made hands (top pair or better) |
Bet |
| Draws with max two opponents |
Bet |
| Draws with more than two opponents |
Check |
| Trash Hands |
Check |
There are no bets before you and you don’t have the initiative:
| Your hand |
Correct action |
| Two pairs or better |
Bet |
| Any other hand |
Check |
There is exactly one bet before you (calls do not count)
| Your hand |
Correct action |
| Two pairs or better |
Raise |
| Top pair or over pair |
Call |
| OESFD, ISFD, FD, OESD or Double ISD |
Call |
| ISD with pot odds higher than 10.5:1 |
Call |
| Any other hand (including over cards) |
Fold |
There is a bet and one or more raises before you (calls do not count):
| Your hand |
Correct action |
| Two pairs or better with favourable community cards |
Raise |
| Two pairs or better with unfavourable community cards |
Call |
| Any other hand |
Fold |
Then you have to consider the actions taken by players after you, using the same definition as in the pre-flop chapter. To simplify the presentation of actions taken after you, bets and raises are both referred to as bets. Calls do not count.
There has been exactly one bet after you (calls do not count):
| Your hand |
Correct action |
| Two pairs or better |
Raise |
| Top pair or over pair |
Call |
| OESFD, ISFD, FD, OESD or Double ISD |
Call |
| ISD with higher pot odds than 10.5:1 |
Call |
| Any other hand |
Fold |
There has been more than one bet after you (calls do not count):
| Your hand |
Correct action |
| Two pairs or better with favourable community cards |
Raise |
| Two pairs or better with unfavourable community cards |
Call |
| OESFD, ISFD, FD, OESD or Double ISD. |
Call |
| Any other hand (including over pair, top pair, ISD and over cards) |
Fold |
How To Play Turn Example 1
You have a pocket pair of Ts-Th. On the flop 6h-5h-8d this was an over pair. Your last action on the flop was to raise so you have the initiative. The turn comes as Ah. You no longer have an over pair. In fact, you no longer have a made hand. One player bets and another player calls that bet. All of which are actions taken before you. You have lost your initiative from the previous round seeing as there is a bet before you.
Your correct action: Fold
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How To Play Turn Example 2
Your pocket cards are Jh-7h. The community cards are Tc-9d-5c-4c. You have an ISD. Your last action on the flop was to call so you don’t have the initiative. You have two opponents left in the hand. The player before you checked.
Your correct action: Check
The player after you bets. The player to your right calls that bet. You should call if the pot odds are favourable. The pot is currently $20. The cost for calling is $2. This makes the pot odds 10:1 which is lower than the hand odds.
Your correct action: Fold
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