A Turn Check (2 of 3)

[Clarkmeister]

I raise a loose EP limper from EMP with KsQc. Clueless SB calls and limper calls. 3 to the flop.

Flop: Jd Th 5d. Checked to me, I bet, SB folds, limper calls.

Turn: 7s. Checked to me, I check.

[Bob S.]

I like your flop bet and your turn check on this one Clarkmeister, that board has become too coordinated and the loose EP limper is likely to have a piece of it with no intentions of folding(that's how loose ep limpers play right???). I kinda question the preflop raise though, your position still isn't the greatest. Unless this opponent is someone you have great control over and the rest of the field behind you is pretty tight/passive I couln't see myself making that raise...but then again, that could have been the scenario exactly.

Bob S.

[Instinct]

I'd probably check turn too.
Normally i would be limping in preflop though.

If he is super loose and could be on a gut shot or calling you with a small pocket pair, then I may bet.
If I bet turn and he calls if another rag comes i would bet river and pray.

However, most of time I check here too.

[elysium]

hi clark
i don't like the check here. you have at least 12 outs with 8 outs to the nuts. your overs are likely good and you may have the lead. heads up here you should bet to get the possible fold.

[CrackerZack]

Good check unless the loose limper is obscenely loose, he probably touched that flop or has a small pair. I find many people like to assume AK for the raise so you couldn't move him off 8s on this type of board. You have 6 nut outs, 2 more to the nut straight and possibly 6 others with your overcards. See what the river brings. Having position is nice because if the BB bets a blank on the river and the EP limper calls, you have nothing to think about. I personally hate getting into this situation with KQ since you can't even being Ax unimproved so I'd probably fold the river if I didn't hit.

[34TheTruth34]

You haven't given us much to go on about the limper, but I say bet the turn and give him a chance to fold. If he should call and you're still handless after the river card, then you have a tough decision. But, you can cross that bridge if/when you come to it. A lot of people call bets on the flop with almost nothing and then fold to a turn bet. Also, if you get check-raised on the turn, at least you can fold with a clear conscience if you don't hit the river.

[J.A.Sucker]

The check is fine, provided you have a plan as to what you're going to do on the river when a blank comes and the loose goose bets out. As long as you call, then I like your plan OK, if the loose goose will call your turn bet all the time. That said, with 2 overcards, an openender, and only K-hi, I'd be inclined to bet the turn, and check the river if I fan, since I think you have a better chance of winning this way.

Then again, I'm Just Another Sucker.

[Lee Jones]

You got this one right. Barry also said one of the top ten mistakes was not taking a free card when you were trying to get one.

I think you should check a huge percentage of the time here. In fact, as I was listening to Barry's talk, he got to that one, and I thought, "Oops - that's me."

Regards, Lee

[skp]

Unlike your As3s hand, this is a tough tough turn decision.

Obviously, the main reason to check is to avoid being checkraised. You don't even like getting called but that's not so bad particularly when you may have 14 outs.

But the big disadvantage of checking is that you have essentially announced that unless the river card is a Broadway card (which doesn't pair the board), you are left with no pair. This makes you suspectible to being bluffed out (it would be okay if you had Ace high but calling with King high is obviously a lot more dicey). Also, if the limper was a good player, he could value bet on the river with any pair when he may well have folded that pair to a bet on the turn.

At the table, I would base my decision on the chances of being checkraised on the turn which in turn requires a knowledge of my opponent's tendencies.

[skp]

I don't think that I would characterize Clark's bet on the flop as an attempt to get a free card (i.e. to get his opponent to check the turn so Clark can check it back and take the freebie). Clark's bet on the flop is on autopilot. It is made by 99% of players 99% of the time.

Now, on the turn, I agree that Clark has a tougher decision *given* that he has a openended draw i.e. if he had nothing or something like 99, he should bet and fold to a checkraise. It's the possibility of being chcekraised with a hand that must see the river that makes the decision difficult.

Again, I am not sure that Barry's point (which is a good one generally speaking) is of primary importance here given the hand matrix i.e. headsup, you are the preflop raiser, there was no aggression on the flop etc.

[bruce]

I think it's very close. I would bet if I felt like there
was any chance my opponent my fold. Now if I bet and I don't hit then I almost have to bet on the river even though it is probably pretty hopeless in order to win. Typically without knowing the opponent I would probably
bet more times than check in a headsup situation. Against
more than one opponent I would almost always check. I would probably bet in this spot around 60% of the time.

Bruce

[Nottom]

Seems like a textbook free card play to me.

[DiamondDave]

Your opponents were calling stations. You knew you'd have to show them the best hand to win the pot. You didn't have the best hand on the turn, so you took the free card.

A semi-bluff bet wouldn't have been so bad even if you thought there was a 0% chance that both of them would fold, but I think you made the best play.

[Clarkmeister]

I find that most uber-loose limpers are pretty readable postflop and I wasn't overly concerned about him bluffing the river. As many of you noted, this is a big concern in this spot.

I am looking for that good balance between betting the turn and checking behind so that if my opponents always go for a checkraise headsup isn't always the correct strategy. I thought that this hand, with so many outs was a good time to check behind, though I admit I wouldn't always do so.

Anyways, the river came the Kc with a final board of [Jd Th 5d] 7s Kc giving me top pair. My opponent bet and I called and lost to Jc 5c for flopped 2-pair.