Capping the flop for the free card?

[ckessel]

This is a general question really, but comes up most often in SH play since it's common to get HU or 3 handed on the flop. When I have a strong draw on the flop, in position, I'll often raise for a free card on the turn. Standard stuff. If someone 3-bets me on the flop, I used to just call.

What I've been doing more of though, particularly when only facing 1-2 opponents is capping the flop. I've found that almost always when I cap it they'll check to me on the turn. Passive players fear they're beat and aggressive ones go for a check-raise. Either way, I get my look at the turn for free.

My thinking is if I'm 3-bet on the flop, a call costs me 1.5BB to see the river card (+1SB on the flop + 1BB on the turn). If I cap it it costs me 1BB (well, 2SB since it's on the flop) to see the river card.

Does this thinking hold water? It seems to be working (I'm seeing rivers for free when I want) and the numbers make sense, but I haven't seen it discussed much before, at least not in poker books. Literature only seems to recommend raising for value when multi-way on the flop.

[RunDownHouse]

I did this for a while, but it seemed that I was getting led into on the turn way too often, which really ruins your day. I prefer not to look like a gorilla, anyways.

[alta_chuttes]

how much is that free card worth?

you dis-allow yourself the oportunity to raise a turn bet (sometimes the chance to raise a turn bet AND a turn call) and often allow your opponents to more correctly read your hand. sometimes people go ape on the turn if you just call the flop with a flush draw, assuming your are semi-bluffing a single flush card because "a flush draw would have raised the flop".

Not to say there aren't many times when raising a flush draw has value or bluff equity but IMO the "free" card play is often overrated.

But here you have already raised so the intial "free card" play isn't the issue.

Given your opponent's flop 3-bet, the more inclined the opponent is to check a turn or river flush card if you just call the flop 3-bet the more inclined I would be to cap the flop, because you may disguise your hand by capping and the big reason not to go for a free crad- the inability to raise a turn bet- is more likely to arise if you just call, as your hand _looks_ more like a flush draw when you call the flop 3-bet.

[MAxx]

i do it headsup when I think it will work......against someplayer's though- they wont allow it anymore [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img].

[Alobar]

its like everything else in poker "it depends" [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I do this quite frequently, but alot depends on the flop texture and my opponent, and my image.