Bet Turn for Free Showdown (1) - Basic Ideas

» COLUMN

Turn play is one of the most difficult aspects in No Limit Hold'em. There are many mistakes that you can make and therefore many ways to force your opponent into mistakes.

In the three parts of this column, you will find out when and against what kind of opponent you can consider betting the turn for free showdown.

What is a bet for free showdown?

PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($25)
MP ($25)
CO ($25)
Hero ($25)
SB ($25)
BB ($25)

Preflop: Hero is BU with 6 , 6
2 folds, CO raises $1.00, Hero calls $1.00, 2 folds

Flop: ($2.35) 3, 4, 7 (2 players)
CO bets $1.50, Hero calls $1.50

Turn: ($5.35) 8 (2 players)
CO checks, Hero bets $3.25

A turn bet for free showdown means that you value bet on the turn in position, hoping that a weaker hand will call. If your opponent calls and checks to you on the river, you can check behind and take a free showdown, since this spot might be too marginal for another value bet.

PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($25)
MP ($25)
CO ($25)
Hero ($25)
SB ($25)
BB ($25)

Preflop: Hero is BU with 6 , 6
2 folds, CO raises $1.00, Hero calls $1.00, 2 folds

Flop: ($2.35) 3, 4, 7 (2 players)
CO bets $1.50, Hero calls $1.50

Turn: ($5.35) 8 (2 players)
CO checks, Hero bets $3.25. CO calls $3.25

River: ($5.35) Q (2 players)
CO checks, Hero checks

What's the purpose?

The reason behind this bet is complex and serves several purposes:

• Value bet
• Protection
• Balancing of floats
• Continuation of aggressive play

Above anything, this bet is a value bet. You want to extract value from weaker hands.

However, this bet has to be considered a thin value bet. If you have a strong hand, the situation looks different. In such a case, you would simply bet for value and evaluate the river card and the river action to decide whether you want to call or value bet again when confronted with aggression.

With a bet for free showdown however, the range that your opponent could call is not particularly wide. Just as in the above example, the question here is: which weaker hand could call?

For example: Flush draws, over-cards, A4, 55, 45, 35,…

There are many hands that might call. However, if your opponent decides to fold his hand, it wouldn't be that bad for you either. He would give up the equity that he still has with every hand, varying between 2 outs (55) and 15 outs (AT ).

Protection pretty much always comes as a result of value betting. If you look at the range above, you are indeed protecting your hand from an ugly river card.

Therefore, protection is closely connected with such a bet, since you always have to assume that there are many draws that might call. They usually comprise the major part of Villain's range, because even made hands such as A4 or 55 in the above example are not only made hands, but also have a draw (although 55 has 4 fewer outs due to your 66).

An important aspect and one that should not be underrated. If you are able to make light value bets on the turn, it will be very difficult for your opponent to play an optimal game against you. In the above example, you could also bet the turn with the draw, or maybe with a very strong hand (however, the opponent would have to assume that you would have raised most sets on the flop).

This gives you two advantages:

If your opponent sees that you can bet weak made hands, you will get some more credit for your floats in the future. In other words: If you check behind with a hand such as 66, possibly even with hands such as A8 or TT on a turn like that, what hand could you try to sell him with a bluff turn bet (float) in the future?

Your opponent will now assume that you don't bet a wide range, so he will think that your range is polarised (nuts / bluffs) and can improve his game against you.

This leads straight to the second advantage: The more you bet on the turn, the more often your opponents will be inclined to call down. Since their ranges will be extended at the bottom end, a hand such as 66, as in the above example, starts becoming a clear value bet. If this is the scenario you find yourself in, you should focus more on the light value bets than on floats.

Due to your balancing, you therefore stay an aggressive player. If you want to be a winning player, you naturally have to value bet a lot as well as strategically smart, even in marginal situatinos: "If you want action, you have to give action".

In such spots, you have all advantages on your side: A made hand, an opponent out of position who doesn't know where he stands and another good spot on the river since it's up to you to decide whether you want to get Villain to pay again or if you can take the free showdown.

Stay aggressive, these are the ideal spots for thin value bets, which will have a good overall effect on your play.

Further play?

In reality, the hand will unfortunately not always develop as above. There are many things that can go wrong.

It would be ideal if the hand developed as in Example 2. Villain shows you his busted flush draw on the river, you win the pot and are happy about the strategically smart value bet on the turn.

So, what do you not want to happen?

• Villain shows you a stronger hand on the river (A8, 99 etc.).
• Villain check/raises the turn.
• Villain check/calls the turn and donks the river.

There's not much you can do about the first scenario. That's the reason it is a thin value bet that you are making. The possibility that your opponent has a better hand can never be ruled out. The only problem is that you wouldn't improve your situation on the river if you played the alternative line, check behind turn. The river will often bring a blank and you will have a tough decision between calling and folding:

PartyPoker $25 NL Hold'em (6-handed)

Stacks & Stats
UTG ($25)
MP ($25)
CO ($25)
Hero ($25)
SB ($25)
BB ($25)

Preflop: Hero is BU with 6 , 6
2 folds, CO raises $1.00, Hero calls $1.00, 2 folds

Flop: ($2.35) 3, 4, 7 (2 players)
CO bets $1.50, Hero calls $1.50

Turn: ($5.35) 8 (2 players)
CO checks, Hero checks

River: ($5.35) 3 (2 players)
CO bets $2.50, Hero...

If you call often enough in this situation, you will be behind against hands such as 99 and A8 anyway, and possible flush draws might bulff you out of the pot now (those that you have just given the free card on the turn).

What do you do if your opponent check/raises? In that case, the hand is usually over. A bet for free showdown is a thin bet by definition and will therefore not stand up to a check/raise. You can't call a donk bet on the river either unless your hand strength has changed considerably. If you find a spot for such a bet, it should be the last bet that you invest in this hand.

Which opponents?

Opponent selection is of course a fundamental issue here. This is an aspect that we will have a closer look at in the upcoming parts.

It should be clear that you can expect a higher EV from a turn bet than from a check and a possible call on the river. If you think the bet will be –EV and therefore assume that giving up the hand (checking down, EV=0) is the better choice, act accordingly.

A classic spot for such a bet is a draw-heavy board against a very passive player. The opposite is true on a dry board against an aggressive player. In such a case, checking behind to induce a bluff might be the better option.

Which boards?

The fundamental question is: Are there many weaker hands that could call here?

This is the most important factor when it comes to value betting. As already indicated in the previous section: The more draw-heavy the board, the more weaker hands might find a call.

Alternatives

The one and only alternative that you have on the turn is the check behind. Depending on the river card, you will only have three options left there:

• Giving up the hand (check, fold)
• Going to the showdown (check, call)
• Bluff (if the river card is bad) (bet, raise)
• Value bet (with a potentially good river card) (bet, raise)

There are countless different spots for this, however you should ask yourself the following question with regards to the last option: If your hand strength hasn't considerably changed on the river, why do you have a value bet now, but didn't on the turn?

LINKS
Discussion forum: Discuss this column in the forum