NL Heads up: Turn and River Play
Introduction
In this article
- Different lines on the last two streets
- How you play IP with and without initiative
- What options you have OOP
In this article you will learn which lines to consider in heads-up play and which arguments support a given line. You will find out which line is the most profitable one in various situations and against different opponents. Since the bet size varies with the pot size, the decisions made on the turn and the river are much more expensive than those made on or before the flop. Therefore, you can earn a lot of money with smart turn and river play.
Playing in position - the opponent checks to you
If you have a very strong made hand, with which you can bet for value on the turn and on the river, you should usually do so. The situation becomes more interesting if your hand is strong against your opponent's range, but another two value bets would be overplayed.
In this situation there are two possible lines:
- a) Check behind for bluff induce
- b) Bet for free showdown
With line a) you check the turn hoping that the opponent bets with weaker made hands or bluffs on the river.
With line b) you bet the turn because you think the opponent will check/call with worse hands and check to you on the river. You can then check behind on the river and you will have invested the same amount as with line a).
Both lines are designed to get to the showdown at a low price with a medium made hand, i.e. to play for pot control. When is each of these lines appropriate?
Check behind for bluff induce:
- Your opponent is usually aggressive.
- Your opponent check/raises a lot on the turn.
- Your opponent often floats out of position.
- Your opponent makes very thin value bets.
- The board is dry (protection is not important).
- Your opponent is unlikely to hold a draw (because, for example, he would have played check/raise on the flop).
- Your opponent is fairly weak (he will fold many worse hands to a bet).
- Your opponent's hand range mostly contains very weak hands.
- Your hand range mostly contains extremely strong hands in your opponent's view.
Bet for free showdown:
- Your opponent is usually passive.
- Your opponent calls a lot out of position.
- Your opponent rarely bluffs.
- Your opponent doesn't make very thin value bets.
- The board allows many draws.
- Your opponent plays his draws rather passively.
- The opponent's hand range contains many hands with which he could call (draws and medium made hands).
- Your hand range contains many weak hands in your opponent's view (bluffs or weak made hands).
Stacks & Stats
Hero ($50)
BB ($50)
Preflop: Hero is SB with A
, K
. Hero posts a blind of $0.25.
Hero raises to $1,50, BB calls $1.
Flop: K
, 3
, 5
BB checks, Hero bets $2, BB calls
Turn: 9
BB checks, Hero?
With a hand as strong as top pair top kicker, you can value bet 3 times against virtually every opponent. You should bet on the turn and the river.
Stacks & Stats
Hero ($50)
BB ($50) (1/3/6/17/401) [Aggression_Flop/Aggression_Turn/Aggression_River/WtSd/Hands]
Preflop: Hero is SB with T, K . Hero posts a blind of $0.25.
Hero raises to $1,50, BB calls $1.
Flop: K, A, 5
BB checks, Hero bets $2, BB calls
Turn: 9
BB checks, Hero?
Now you only have second pair with a medium kicker. By far not every opponent calls down with worse hands often enough to make two value bets profitable. You have to evaluate what argues for and what argues against a bet.
The board allows very few draws and your opponent's hand range will therefore mainly consist of made hands. They will often be one pair hands, occasionally weak draws, air or slowplayed strong made hand.
In this example, your opponent is a very aggressive player who is rather passive on the flop, but becomes more aggressive on the turn and the river. In addition to that, he has a went to showdown stat of only 17%, indicating he does not often go to the river.
Against this opponent, checking behind is a much better choice than a bet. You can assume that he will fold a lot of weaker hands to another bet, but on the other hand might bet the river with made hands as well as air. Since he is so aggressive, he might play bluff check/raise on the turn, which may force you to fold the better hand.
Stacks & Stats
Hero ($50)
BB ($50) (1/1/0.5/27/401) [Aggression_Flop/Aggression_Turn/Aggression_River/WtSd/Hands]
Preflop: Hero is SB with T, K . Hero posts a blind of $0.25.
Hero raises to $1,50, BB calls $1.
Flop: K, A, 5
BB checks, Hero bets $2, BB calls
Turn: 9
BB checks, Hero?
If you play the same hand against a different opponent, we come to a different conclusion. This opponent is very passive and calls down with many hands. It is definitely profitable for you to make a value bet on the turn.
On the other hand, there is only little chance that the opponent would bet the river himself when he has a weaker hand. Betting on the turn is the right choice here.
If you have a draw in position, you have to consider whether you get enough fold equity for a semibluff. You have to remember that you still have equity if your opponent just calls on the turn. In you hit on the river, you can make a bigger value bet if you already enlarge the pot with a semibluff on the turn.
Here are some arguments for and against a semibluff:
Bet as a semibluff:
- You are able to represent a good made hand on this board.
- The hand range of your opponent is very weak.
- Your opponent folds many hands on the turn.
- Your opponent doesn't often check/raise on the turn.
- Your opponent rarely folds a hand on the river (bigger implied odds).
- Your opponent very often gives up his hand on the river (On average, the river bluff is +EV and becomes more profitable as the pot grows).
Check behind:
- It is very difficult to represent a made hand on this board.
- The opponent's hand range contains many strong hands.
- The opponent only folds few hands on the turn.
- The opponent often plays check/raise on the turn.
- You do not know whether the opponent folds a lot of hands on the river.
If your hand has virtually no chance of winning a showdown, you often have the option of bluff betting on the turn and the river. You have to take into account how often your opponent folds to second or third barrels as well as the texture of the board. The basic rule of thumb is: If you can represent a good hand and your opponent rarely holds a strong hand, a bluff is likely to be profitable.
Exactly when this is the case depends on your opponent's playing tendencies. Against many players it is worth exerting pressure by continuing to bluff, even if they catch you every now and then. Against very aggressive or very loose opponents you should hardly ever make pure bluffs.
Stacks & Stats
Hero ($50)
BB ($50) (2/18/401) [Aggression_postflop/WtSd/Hands]
Preflop: Hero is SB with 5, 6 . Hero posts a blind of $0.25.
Hero raises to $1,50, BB calls $1.
Flop: 7, 8, A
BB checks, Hero bets $2, BB calls
Turn: 2
BB checks, Hero?
In this example, you have an open-ended straight draw. Your opponent tends to play passively postflop and rarely goes to the showdown, i.e. he is rather weak.
On this board, the opponent has not necessarily hit a good hand if he plays check/call on the flop. Also, you can represent the ace quite well. If your opponent does not want to give up on the turn, he is more likely to call than to check/raise. All of these reasons clearly speak for a bet on the turn.
Stacks & Stats
Hero ($50)
BB ($50) (5/20/401) [Aggression_postflop/WtSd/Hands]
Preflop: Hero is SB with A, 2 . Hero posts a blind of $0,25.
Hero raises to $1,50, BB calls $1.
Flop: 6, 7, J
BB checks, Hero bets $2, BB calls
Turn: 2
BB checks, Hero?
In this example you have completely missed the flop and the turn does not really change the strength of your hand. Your opponent is very aggressive postflop, but does not often go to the showdown.
Such an aggressive player will tend to donk bet or, even much more likely, check/raise on the flop if he has a draw or a strong made hand; strong made hands because he is trying to protect against draws, and draws because he will be able to create a lot of fold equity and balance his otherwise much too strong check/raising range.
Therefore the opponent's hand range on the turn mainly consists of rather weak made hands. You can assume that a bluff bet is profitable here, even without any outs.
Stacks & Stats
Hero ($50)
BB ($50) (5/26/401) [Aggression_postflop/WtSd/Hands]
Preflop: Hero is SB with 7, 6 . Hero posts a blind of $0.25.
Hero raises to $1,50, BB calls $1.
Flop: 2, T, A
BB checks, Hero bets $2, BB calls
Turn: 2
BB checks, Hero?
In this example you have a flush draw. Although your opponent is relatively loose and aggressive, you decided to make a continuation bet on the flop. This can very well be correct against an opponent that doesn't always check/raise this type of board.
Your opponent calls on the flop and the turn brings a blank. Against a rather loose player, you cannot be sure that you can generate very much fold equity here. Given his aggression, there is also the possibility of him check/raising the turn.
In this situation another bet on the turn is not that profitable. You should check behind and take the free card.
Stacks & Stats
Hero ($50)
BB ($50) (0.5/33/401) [Aggression_postflop/WtSd/Hands]
Preflop: Hero is SB with 7, 6 . Hero posts a blind of $0.25.
Hero raises to $1,50, BB calls $1.
Flop: 2, 4, 5
BB checks, Hero bets $2, BB calls
Turn: A
BB checks, Hero?
In this example you have an open-ended straight draw an an flush draw. You still have good equity against any better hand on the turn. Your opponent appears to be a calling station - a player who can both be very loose and very passive.
A loose player is not the ideal target for a semibluff, but it makes perfect sense to bet the turn in this case. If your opponent plays check/call on this flop, the number of strong hands he could have is limited.
There are many weak one pair hands, overcards and draws that he can call on the flop. With this scare card, you can put these hands under a lot of pressure and force them out of the pot in most cases. However, there are some two pairs, sets and top pairs, which he was lucky enough to hit, as well as pocket pairs that a loose opponent such as this will not give up on the turn.
On the whole, however, you can create a lot of fold equity. On top of that, your opponent will almost never check/raise on the turn, which means that if you hit on the river, you can make a large value bet in a big pot. There are a few hands your opponent will call on the turn. However, he will most likely give them up on the river.
All in all, the semibluff can be quite profitable here even against a calling station.
Your opponent bets
If your opponent bets out of position and you have a made hand, you need to decide whether you want to play for pot control by calling, or whether it is better for you to enlarge the pot by raising.
You should keep in mind that an aggressive opponent might also bet the river after a turn bet. If the pot size is already sufficiently large and the opponent has relatively few draws in his hand range, you can simply call his turn bet and raise all-in on the river if you have a very strong hand. Many opponents see themselves as committed to the pot on the river if you raise and they improve their pot odds so they can convince themselves to call.
On the other hand, you will often have to call a river bet against a very aggressive opponent with just a medium made hand, if you are not willing to give it up on the turn. You will therefore be involved in a large pot with a medium strength hand. If you are unsure whether or not you can call two bets, it is no mistake for you to give up a made hand on the turn against a very aggressive opponent.
Stacks & Stats
Hero ($50)
BB ($50) (0.5/33/401) [Aggression_postflop/WtSd/Hands]
Preflop: Hero is SB with 7, 6 . Hero posts a blind of $0,25.
Hero raises to $1,50, BB calls $1.
Flop: 9, 7, 2
BB checks, Hero bets $2, BB calls
Turn: A
BB bets $5, Hero?
You are up against a rather loose, passive opponent once more. On the flop, you have a second pair and you correctly make a standard bet for value and protection. On the turn, an overcard appears and the flush completes.
Your opponent donk bets. Against such a passive player, you can usually rule out a bluff. Your opponent will most often have hit at least top pair on the turn. Also possible are a two pair, a flush, or a set that was slowplayed on the flop.
You should fold directly on the turn here.
Stacks & Stats
Hero ($50)
BB ($50) (4/25/401) [Aggression_postflop/WtSd/Hands]
Preflop: Hero is SB with 7, 6 . Hero posts a blind of $0.25.
Hero raises to $1,50, BB calls $1.
Flop: 8, 5, 2
BB checks, Hero bets $2, BB calls
Turn: 9
BB bets $5, Hero?
In this example, you are facing a more aggressive opponent. On the flop you have an open-ended straight draw and make a semibluff continuation bet. Your opponent calls and donk bets on the turn.
The turn completes your straight, but also brings a flush draw. Your opponent is aggressive enough to turn his weak hands into bluffs, or bet weaker hands such as 98s, 99 or one pair for value and protection. Naturally he could also bet the flush for value.
But if you consider that an aggressive opponent is likely to play his draws rather aggressively on the flop instead of just calling, his hand range doesn't seem very strong. You will almost always be ahead on the turn.
The important question is: how do you get maximum value from weaker hands? On this board, protection is very important, but on the other hand, a raise on the turn would drive out almost all weaker hands.
However, the same hands would usually also bet a blank river. If you call the turn and raise the river, your opponent will have a harder time folding weaker made hands and be likely to bluff bet the river.
Draws on the turn are not worth as much as those on the flop. For one thing, they have poorer equity. Also, you do not get the opportunity to see a free card with a semibluff. If the opponent bets the turn and you raise, note that you are investing a large part of your stack.
You have some equity against made hands, but in a large pot you should only semibluff if you are sure your opponent will fold often. You should be very cautious about making pure bluff raises on the turn.
In some cases you can make a profitable call on the turn with a draw. You should make sure you have the required implied odds against this opponent so you get paid off if you hit on the river. The smaller your opponent's turn bet is, the easier it is for you to call.
Stacks & Stats
Hero ($50)
BB ($50) (5/30/401) [Aggression_postflop/WtSd/Hands]
Preflop: Hero is SB with 7, 6 . Hero posts a blind of $0.25.
Hero raises to $1,50, BB calls $1.
Flop: 8, 3, 2
BB checks, Hero checks
Turn: 9
BB bets $5, Hero?
In this example, your opponent is a maniac. He raises and bets a lot and often goes to the showdown. Bluffs and semibluffs are not very effective against this type of opponent. On the flop you chose not to make a continuation bet with your flush draw, which is definitely justified in this situation.
On the turn, you have an open-ended straight draw in addition to your flush draw, so you have fairly good equity against most hands. Your opponent donk bets, but this does not have to suggest a good hand at all.
You cannot assume that a semibluff is always profitable against this opponent. However, you will often get more money on the river if you hit one of your outs. In this situation, it is best to simply call.
Playing out of position - you have the initiative
If your hand is too weak to bet on the turn, but still has an acceptable amount of equity against the opponent's hand range, you should check to him first. Whether or not you can then call a bet from the opponent is a difficult problem, and strongly depends on your opponent's playing tendencies and his possible hand range.
It is often the case that the opponent will check behind with medium made hands and draws against which you are ahead, and only bet with good made hands and bluffs. If you have no specific reads on your opponent yet and assume that he rarely has hands that he will turn into a bluff, you can hardly ever call a bet on the turn and should play check/fold.
If you notice that your opponent is generally rather aggressive, floats a lot or bets very weak made hands and draws on the turn when you check to him, you should balance your check/fold line and check/call with your medium made hands every now and then. You have to keep in mind that you are out of position again on the river and don't have the initiative. If you are uncertain, it is better for you to already fold on the turn.
Moreover, you can balance your check/fold line by incorporating bluff check/raises into your game when you have the initiative. If your opponent calls your continuation bets on the flop and you are sure he often has weak hands, (because, for example, he floats a lot on this kind of board texture), you can also profitably check/raise with air or a draw.
If you have seized the initiative on the flop with a made hand, it will often still be strong enough for another value bet on the turn. In most cases, it is sensible to make a straightforward bet. Particularly after you check/raised on the flop, you can easily be all-in by the river.
It is possible to check/raise on the turn with a very strong made hand. This makes it easier to be all-in by the river in situations if the pot is still relatively small. Against unknown or passive players you will often have the problem that they check behind, you don't reach your objective and the pot remains small. As always in poker, you have to use your reads, estimate the opponent's hand range and decide whether a check/raise or a bet will give you more value.
An important reason for making occasional check/raises when you have the initiative is balancing the check/fold line. If you are up against a player who is very aggressive on the turn, you can take advantage of this and enlarge the pot. Additionally, he cannot make that many bluffs and thin value bets on the turn anymore, which means you will often get to see a cheap showdown with your medium strength made hands.
Stacks & Stats
Hero ($50)
SB ($50) (0.5/25/401) [Aggression_postflop/WtSd/Hands]
Preflop: Hero is BB with Q, T . Hero posts a blind of $0.25.
SB raises to $1,50, Hero calls $1.
Flop: T, 9, 2
Hero bets $2, SB calls
Turn: J
Hero?
You passively defended your suited connector against a rather passive opponent before the flop. On the flop you hit top pair + weak kicker and donk bet for protection and value.
Since the opponent is rather passive on the flop and will not make continuation bets on the flop very often, the donk bet is a good way of preventing him from getting a free card.
The turn is a fairly bad card. The flush draw completes and all open-ended straight draws from the flop now have a straight or a higher pair than you.
The opponent is not necessarily ahead, but you cannot bet for value unless your opponent is an extreme calling station. You should check for now.
If the opponent bets, you can expect that he has you beat, since he is very passive. This means he will almost never bet weak hands for value or turn them into bluffs. He is not the type of opponent who you would expect to float often either.
Stacks & Stats
Hero ($50)
SB ($50) (2/27/401) [Aggression_postflop/WtSd/Hands]
Preflop: Hero is BB with K, J . Hero posts a blind of $0.25.
SB raises to $1,50, Hero calls $1.
Flop: J, 8, 2
Hero bets $2, SB calls
Turn: A
Hero?
Now you are facing an opponent who is not extremely passive, but with an AF of 2.0 he is not the most aggressive either. On the flop you have top pair + good kicker and decide to seize the initiative with a donk bet.
The turn brings an overcard and your hand no longer has as much value as it did on the flop. Your opponent may still call a bet with some weaker hands, so you could certainly bet for value.
In addition, there are now two flush draws and an OESD possible, so protection plays a big role. Although your opponent is not the most passive, you should not prefer a check/raise to a bet. For one thing, you would drive out almost all weaker made hands, which might call a bet. Secondly, your opponent is passive enough to check behind every now and then (with weaker made hands and draws).
If you seized the initiative on the flop with a draw or even a pure bluff, you can of course continue this bluff or semibluff on the turn. It is helpful to have accurate reads here.
Many opponents call a check/raise the flop with weak made hands, and 3-bet the flop with strong made hands. These weak made hands often fold to another bet.
Many opponents call a donk bet on the flop with weak hands for pot control, and raise with very strong hands. If the opponent does not balance his lines by slowplaying occasionally, you can often consider bluffing or semibluffing by making a second bet on the turn and sometimes even a third bet on the river.
This situation occurs particularly often when the board offers many draws. Your opponent will normally raise with his strong made hands for protection on the flop while calling with weak made hands for pot control. If the opponent plays his draws passively on the flop, he is even less likely to have a good made hand on the turn, which makes your bluff even more profitable.
As mentioned before, it can make sense to check/raise as a bluff or semibluff against some opponents. If the pot is not too large yet, you can generate more fold equity. By playing this line you can keep your opponents from floating too much and balance your check/fold line.
A check/raise with draws has the additional advantage that you sometimes get a free river card.
In most cases it makes no sense to play check/call on the turn with a draw or air. You rarely get the required pot odds and due to your positional disadvantage, you have low implied odds and low fold equity on the river.
If you think a check/raise or bluff bet wil create too little fold equity to be profitable, you should just give up the hand.
Stacks & Stats
Hero ($50)
SB ($50) (5/21/401) [Aggression_postflop/WtSd/Hands]
Preflop: Hero is BB with 7, 6 . Hero posts a blind of $0.25.
SB raises to $1,50, Hero calls $1.
Flop: J, T, 2
Hero checks , SB bets $2, Hero raises to $7, SB calls
Turn: A
Hero?
In this example, you play against a very aggressive opponent who does not go to the showdown extremely often. On the flop you check/raise with a flush draw. This opponent will contibet very often and has to fold many of his hands to a check/raise.
None of your outs appear on the turn. The ace is an overcard that you might have hit and an OESD has arrived. Since your opponent only called on the flop, although many draws are possible, you can assume that he does not have a strong hand very often.
An aggressive player usually 3-bets on the flop with very strong hands and draws. The opponent's range therefore mainly consists of medium made hands which can be driven out of the pot with an arriving straight draw and the overcard on the turn.
Considering that you still have outs for the flush, a second barrel on the turn is good line to play.
Your opponent has the initiative
If you have a made hand on the flop and decided to let your opponent have the initiative, your hand was probably too weak for a value bet or a value raise. Also, you probably saw this as a good opportunity to try and induce a bluff.
The hand range with which the opponent will call a donk bet on the turn is often not any weaker than the range with which he will do so on the flop. A donk bet for value on the turn therefore makes little sense in many situations on the turn. However, when you know that your opponent makes a lot of continuation bets on the flop and loose downcalls against donk bets on the turn, the situation looks different. Against many opponents, though, you should leave the initiative to them, just like you did on the flop.
When you hold a very strong made hand, either because you slowplayed on the flop or hit an out on the turn which completed your draw, you have to ask yourself how you can extract the most value from your opponent.
If the opponent often fires a second barrel on the turn with weak hands, a check/raise can be a good choice. If he does not, then it is usually better to bet, since the opponent will be less likely to fold than if you check/raised. On top of that, you take away the opportunity to check behind on the turn to play for pot control.
Against players who often fire multiple barrels, check/call can be a good move, in order to induce another bluff bet on the river with a check. You can balance check/fold with this line. Since you will lose value if the opponent checks behind on the river, you should only play this line for if you can confidently put your opponent on a weak hand and you have a strong read that he 3-barrels often.
Stacks & Stats
Hero ($50)
SB ($50) (5/30/401) [Aggression_postflop/WtSd/Hands]
Preflop: Hero is BB with T, J . Hero posts a blind of $0,25.
SB raises to $1,50, Hero calls $1.
Flop: J, Q, 2
Hero checks , SB bets $2, Hero calls
Turn: 5
Hero ?
In this example you are against an aggressive loose opponent who appears to be a maniac. Before the flop you call with a high suited connector, with which you could hit a good pair or a strong draw postflop.
On the flop you hit middle pair with a medium kicker and decide to play check/call. This relatively aggressive loose opponent will make a continuation bet with many weaker hands and you can perfectly use this line for pot control against an aggressive player, which would not be possible with a check/raise or a donk bet.
The turn brings a card which doesn't change the strength of your hand and is unlikely to have helped the opponent. In principle, you are faced with the same decision as on the flop. Even against a loose player, it is difficult to value bet with this weak hand and would have to worry about being bluff raised.
To give up this hand against such an aggressive opponent would be too weak. Therefore the best choice here is to play check/call.
Stacks & Stats
Hero ($50)
SB ($50) (1.5/28/401) [Aggression_postflop/WtSd/Hands]
Preflop: Hero is BB with T, J . Hero posts a blind of $0.25.
SB raises to $1,50, Hero calls $1.
Flop: J, Q, 2
Hero checks , SB bets $2, Hero calls
Turn: T
Hero ?
In this example, your opponent is much less aggressive. On the flop you decide to play check/call for pot control again. You can expect a continuation bet from a worse hand often enough to make this move profitable.
On the turn your hand improves to two pair. You cannot expect a second barrel from your relatively passive opponent very often. You should therefore take the initiative and bet for value both on the turn and on the river.
If you have an opponent who very often contibets on the flop, but frequently folds afterwards, then a bluff donk bet on the turn can make sense. It has the advantage that it is relatively cheap compared to other lines. A donk bet as a bluff or semibluff is particularly profitable when a draw has just completed or your opponent could put you on a strong hand.
You should keep in mind that a player who wants to give up on the turn will often not call a bet on the river. Therefore you can play it safe by checking on the turn, then bluffing on the river. Which of the two lines you choose depends on which line can better represent a strong made hand.
If your opponent frequently fires a second barrel, it can be very profitable to check/raise on the turn as a bluff or semibluff. This line will generate a lot of fold equity, and provided you have not been playing like a maniac, your opponent will have to fold many better hands.
Just as is the case when you have the initiative, it almost never makes sense to play check/call with a draw or with air on the turn.
If you do not have very much equity and you do not think you have enough fold equity for a bluff or semibluff, then the only correct line is check/fold. This does not mean that you will always lose the hand. There is a chance that your opponent will check behind on the turn. Depending on your opponent and the board on the river, you may be able to bluff bet or hit one of your outs. As always, your opponent's playing tendencies and hand reads are important.
Stacks & Stats
Hero ($50)
SB ($50) (3/20/401) [Aggression_postflop/WtSd/Hands]
Preflop: Hero is BB with T, J . Hero posts a blind of $0.25.
SB raises to $1,50, Hero calls $1.
Flop: T, Q, 2
Hero checks , SB bets $2, Hero calls
Turn: A
Hero ?
In this example, you are up against a relatively aggressive and rather tight opponent. On the flop, you decide to play check/call with your medium made hand.
On the turn, you have a flush draw in addition to your second pair. At the same time however, the turn is an overcard which reduces your showdown value significantly. Since your opponent is relatively weak, it makes sense to semibluff with a donk bet or check/raise every now and then. The ace is a good scare card and if your opponent calls with a better hand, you usually have a lot of outs.
Another option, as was mentioned earlier, is to check the turn (possibly with the intention of check/raising) and then to bet the river should the opponent check behind on the turn.
Whether a check raise or a donk bet is more appropriate primarily depends on the tendencies of the opponent. If he often makes second barrel bluffs or usually doesn't give much credit to donk bets, a check/raise is the more favourable option. If he does not often bluff the turn, reacts weakly when faced with donk bets, or if he is unwilling to give up made hands on the turn if you raise him, a donk bet is better.
Whether a delayed bet on the river is sensible or not depends on whether the opponent is likely to bet with many weak hands on the turn despite the scare card, and whether he is likely to bet medium strength hands on the turn or check behind for bluff induce.
Conclusion
When you are in position you generally have an advantage because you can keep the pot small with weak hands and build the pot with strong hands.
On top of that, you get to see what your opponent does first and don't have to give away what hand you have as you sometimes have to do out of position. Straight draws and weak to medium made hands are much more pleasant to play in position.
With made hands you have the options of betting for a free showdown or checking behind for bluff induce. Moreover, you can directly raise your opponent's bet or call for pot control or to slowplay.
With draws and air you have the chance to see the next card cheaply or even for free, or you can try a bluff or semibluff to put your opponent under pressure since he is out of position.
But even out of position you have some tools available to use against your opponent.
You can keep the pot small by checking to your opponent. If you have to give up hands with showdown value too often, you can check/raise or even call out of position every once in a while to balance your check/fold line. Check/call can also be used to induce bluffs.
With good hands you can play a straightforward donk bet for value or check/raise to exploit a high level of aggression, depending on the opponent.
With draws and air you can check/raise against an overly aggressive bluff better or donk bet against weaker opponents and take the pot at a low price. Against loose players, you can often call a bet on the flop with a draw because you know you are getting the necessary implied odds.
All in all, you have to make sure that the opponent does not outplay you when you are out of position. If your opponent displays any noticeable tendencies when he is in position, you should try to exploit them as best you can, or at least make sure the opponent does not exploit you.
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