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Introduction

In this article

• The goals of this line
  
• Why this is not a standard line
  

You will often end up being forced to make a decision out of position in short handed games when you raised before the flop and were called by a single opponent on the flop.

This situation usually arises when you raise first-in from the Small Blind or when you are in a blind position and isolate a limper.

In this given situation, you have six possible betting sequences on the turn:

• bet/3-bet
• bet/call
• bet/fold
• check/raise
• check/call
• check/fold

As you are the aggressor, you will be betting yourself most of the time. If you check, this usually means one out of two things:

• you are giving up the hand and intend to fold to a bet
• you want to avoid a raise, but intend to call any bet

If these two reasons were the only ones to check on the turn, an observing opponent could quickly realize that a check on the turn automatically is a sign of weakness - he could then start exploiting this by making bluff calls* on the flop or by betting medium strong hands for value.

That's why you have to make sure he can't always interpret a check on the turn as weakness by balancing your checks on the turn with check/raises, usually for value, but from time to time as a bluff, too.

You can also use this line against weaker opponents. In this case, you aren't check/raising to balance your lines, but to maximize your value.

In this article, we will discuss the conditions and use of the line: bet flop, check/raise turn with initiative.

*bluff call: a bluff call is a call on the flop with nothing but air and the hopes that the opponent then will check/fold on the turn. This move can often be put to use when you suspect your opponent to have missed the flop. When you are certain that a check on the turn equates to giving up the hand, this line can be cheaper than a bluff raise on the flop, as it only costs one SB (the turn bet usually won't get called).

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