Heads-up IP: Raise Turn or Raise Flop?

Introduction

In this article

• Why not to raise on the flop
  
• Why to raise on the turn
  
• When to raise on the flop
  

This article will focus on a very specific situation: you are in position on the flop, but your opponent has the initiative. This situation can arise when you raise pre-flop and then call a 3-bet from one of the blinds, or after you call a steal raise from the SB or BB.

We will look at hands that are strong enough for a raise in certain spots and ignore cases in which you have an easy fold or an equity based calldown with a hand that has marginal showdown value.

We will address the question of whether or not you should raise on the flop, or simply call and keep the option of raising on the turn open.

Keep in mind that you don't have to follow through with the line call flop, raise turn to the bitter end. You can switch to calldown mode or even fold depending on the turn card. This may seem fairly obvious, but you will see just how important this can be.

Before we can begin addressing our subject matter, we have to ask ourselves: What makes a hand raiseable?

What makes a hand raiseable?

An immediate answer might be: Any time your hand gives you an edge, you can raise. This, however, is not always correct.

Let's look at a few scenarios to get a better idea of how we can answer our question. We will start with a less than idea situation: Your opponent will 3-bet when he has a better hand and call down when he has a weaker hand.

The costs and profit of each line (raise flop; call flop, raise turn; call down) are as follows:

Raise Flop
Profit (Post-flop): 3 BBs
Loss (Post-flop): 3.5 BBs

Raise Turn
Profit (Post-flop): 3.5 BBs
Loss (Post-flop): 4.5 BBs

Calldown
Profit (Post-flop): 2.5 BBs
Loss (Post-flop): 2.5 BBs

There should be no need to explain what these numbers mean. You win 3 BBs when you raise the flop and your opponent calls you down. You lose 3.5 BBs when he 3-bets and you call him down. The same is shown for your other two options: raise turn, or a straight call down.

So what is the post-flop EV for each line depending on your hand's equity value p(win)?

EV for given equity Line p(win) = 0.51 p(win) = 0.54 p(win) = 0.67 Raise Flop -0.185 0.01 0.855 Raise Turn -0.42 -0.18 0.86 Call down 0.05 0.2 0.85

These values were derived with a relatively simple Excel sheet, which can be used to calculate the EV of a line based on equity and profit/loss.

Download the Excel sheet here

The column on the left shows you your EV when you have 51% equity. This gives you a minimal edge, but you can see that the lines raise flop, and call flop/raise turn are both negative EV. This is due to our assumption, pessimistic as it may be, that your opponent will 3-bet when he has a better hand. Still, it shows us that a raise is not automatically justifiable just because you have an equity edge.

The next column shows you your EV when you have 54% equity. You now see the first positive value (raise flop). If you continue reading, however, you see that you have a much higher EV when you simply call down.

The column on the right shows you your EV when you have 67% equity. Raising on the turn gives you the highest EV for the first time.

This example illustrates the importance of reverse implied odds (RIO) and shows that you can't afford to disregard them. Reverse implied odds come into play when your opponent 3-bets and you aren't able to fold, which results in you paying him off. The result is that you lose more when you have a weaker hand than you win when you have the best hand. This is why you need so much more equity for the line call flop raise turn to be your most profitable option.

Why call flop with the option of raising the turn is the best standard line

You know call flop, raise turn as a standard line. The next section will explain why calling on the flop and reevaluating the situation on the turn is a better standard line than raising on the flop.

One of the main reasons for using this line is to balance your call flop, raise turn line. If you don't have call flop, raise turn as part of your arsenal and simply raise every time you have a raiseable hand, your opponent will know that you only have a marginal hand or draw when you just call on the flop. He will then know that he doesn't have to worry about facing a raise when he bets again on the turn. Your opponent will fire more 2nd barrels knowing that your range is weak and that you will have to fold to a bet on the turn.

If, however, you always call the flop and wait for the turn card before you decide to raise when you have a raiseable hand, your opponent won't be able to put you on a hand so easily when you do call a flop bet.

This would give you such a wide range after a flop call, that your opponent wouldn't be able to make any specific reads. You could be on a weak A high hand making an equity based call down, or might be playing a draw passively thinking you can't generate any fold equity. You could raise a turn bet with a draw or a made hand... To put it short, anything is possible.

Your opponent will have to think twice before he fires a 2nd barrel. He might even check to you, which would allow you to take a free card. If your call was a bluff, you could seize the initiative and bet.

Some might say that there is nothing wrong with raising on the flop any time you have a playable hand. This would include a mix of made hands, semi-bluffs and pure bluffs and theoretically be well-balanced, since your opponent would never know what you have. The problem? What if you want to call?

Even if your raises are perfectly balanced, you won't be able to balance your calls on the flop (and if you are playing intelligent poker, call flop should be in your repertoire). Call flop, raise turn is not a part of your game, since you would have raised on the flop with any hand that you could use to call flop, raise turn. Your call means that you have a hand that is too weak to raise with; you are either peeling to the turn or making an equity based call down.

A good opponent will see this and exploit your leak. He will know that you will either fold to a 2nd barrel, or call down at most. He can make thin value bets, since he knows you would have raised on the flop if you had a strong hand.

We can therefore conclude: If you had the choice of either raising 100% of your raiseable hands on the flop, or calling with 100% of your raiseable hands on the flop, calling would be the better option.

The fact of the matter is that most of your opponents will have a hard time playing their hand optimally on the turn when they have initiative but are out of position (oop). You can exploit this by calling on the flop and starting action on the turn. Here are a few common mistakes that most of your opponents will make:

A raise on the flop can be enough to make your opponent fold a hand that has outs against you. If, however, you simply call on the flop, your opponent will often bet again on the turn, which allows you to win an additional BB. On the other hand, your opponent could hit on the turn. The question is, would you rather induce a bluff or avoid a suckout? Take a look at the example:

Pre-flop: Hero is BB
SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: (4 SB)
SB bets, Hero?

Pot: 4 SBs + Contibet = 5 SBs

Let's assume your opponent has 6 outs on the flop and would fold to a raise. The odds of hitting an out are 2.2%, which means he will hit the turn app. 13% of the time.

The EV of a raise is easy to calculate: if your opponent folds, you win 5 SBs.

There will be 7 SBs in the pot (ignore the SB from your flop call, since it is not profit) if you call and your opponent bets again. Your equity is 87%, which means your EV is:

EV (Call Flop) = 0.87 x 7 SBs 0.13 x 3 SBs= 5.7 SBs

You win an additional BB every time your opponent bets again on the turn with a 6 outer than if you had raised on the flop and forced him out of the hand.

You can expect your opponent to contibet again on the turn about 70% of the time. Yet even with the opponent continuing his aggression only 70% of the time, the EV (Call Flop) would still be 5.2 SBs. 6 outs for your opponent are therefore the approximate boundary for making this move more profitable than directly raising the flop. You can be happy any time your opponent folds more than 6 outs, but it would be better to let him bluff on the turn any time he has less.

The difference becomes even more clear when your opponent has just 3 outs (~7%):

EV (Call Flop) = 0.93 x 7 SBs - 0.07 x 3 SBs = 6.3 SBs
EV (Call Flop 70% Bluff Bet Turn) = 0.93 * 6.4 – 0.07 * 3 = 5.7 SBs

You can see a clear difference in EV between a direct raise on the flop (5 SBs) and calling the flop and allowing your opponent to bluff (5.7 SBs).

You can see that you win more when you allow hands with few outs against you to bet again on the turn instead of forcing them to fold on the flop. The amount you lose by allowing your opponent to see the turn card is less than the additional bet you win from him.

Most opponents won't fold hands with 6 outs or more on the flop. If they do fold, it's usually a sign that they had very few outs. Still, the value of inducing a bluff (from opponents who tend to fire a 2nd barrel) outweighs the desire to get him to fold outs. The flip side of coin is that you are better off raising on the flop and making trash hands fold when your opponent is not likely to bet again on the turn.

In general, most players (including TAGs) tend to have a too high of a turn contibet frequency than too low. This generally applies across the board, which is why most opponents have trouble on the turn when they are oop. Many players will even continue to bet long after the board/opponent leaves no more room for doubt.

In the next three examples (Button = BB) the SB will have a 70% open raising range.

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with Q, 5
SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: T, 3, 2 (4 SBs)
SB bets, Hero folds.

Flop equity: 34.7%

Your opponent will fire a 2nd barrel with a large part of his range (an aggressive opponent might even fire a 2nd barrel with his entire range). You'll have to fold any hand that has less than 37% equity, though you would probably call one more time against a less aggressive opponent. Since, however, you can be fairly certain that a 2nd barrel will be coming your way, there is no sense in peeling on the flop.

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with Q, 3
SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: T, 3, 2 (4 SBs)
SB bets, Hero calls.

Turn: 2 (3 BBs)
SB bets, Hero raises (calling would also be an option)

You can profit from the fact that your opponent will bet with a lot of weaker hands (which he would probably fold to a raise on the flop or, at the latest, to a raise flop, bet turn). Either way, you stand to profit more by calling on the flop. If you then face a 3-bet on the turn, you can be fairly certain that you are behind and can lay down your hand. If you raise on the flop and your opponent 3-bets, you won't really know if he has you beat or is trying to rebluff.

It's also a matter of balancing your flop calls. If you only make equity calls* and calls with monster hands, your flop calls won't be balanced, since you won't raise the turn after an equity call and won't call a turn bet with a monster. Your opponent would know that he simply has to bet again on the turn and fold if you raise. If, however, you balance this line by using it with made hands as well as weak hands, your opponent won't be able to avoid taking weaker hands to the showdown and paying you off.

*Equity call: An equity call is a call made with a marginal hand (usually not a pair) that has sufficient equity against an opponent's raising range. You can find out more in the following articles:

On the Flop Heads up OOP: C/C Flop Without Initiative - With Showdown Value
Turn Play OOP Without Initiative - With Showdown Value

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with T, 2
SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: T, 3, 2 (4SB)
SB bets, Hero calls.

Turn: 2 (3BB)
SB bets, Hero raises

The classic value line. You hit two pair on the flop and improve to a full house on the turn. After you call on the flop, your opponent will bet the turn with most of his range. The board won't look dangerous to him, either. He will often put you on a T and might even 3-bet with a strong T or an overpair, after which you can cap.

If you were to play this hand over and over again, you would find that you are more likely to get a 3-bet out of your opponent on the flop than on the turn. This makes sense, since your opponent will want to protect against draws and free cards. His 3-bet range is always wider on the flop than on the turn.

However, many opponents tend to be too cautious when it comes to 3-bets on the turn. They are often scared by your turn raise and will only value 3-bet with very strong hands. The result: When you lose to a stronger hand, you usually don't lose any more than if you had raised on the flop; when your opponent calls you down with a weaker hand after you raise on the turn, you win more than if you had raised on the flop.

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with Q, 7 Villain is SB with T, 7
SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: T, 8, Q (4 SBs)
SB bets, Hero raises, SB calls down.

Win: 3 BBs

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with Q, 7 Villain is SB with T, 7
SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: T, 8, Q (4 SBs)
SB bets, Hero calls.

Turn: 5 (3 BBs)
SB bets, Hero raises, SB calls down.

Win: 3.5 BBs

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with T, 7 Villain is SB with Q, 7
SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: T, 8, Q (4 SBs)
SB bets, Hero raises, Villain 3-bets, Hero calls down.

Loss: 3.5 BBs

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with T, 7 Villain is SB with Q, 7
SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: T, 8, Q (4 SBs)
SB Bets, Hero calls.

Turn: 5 (3 BBs)
SB bets, Hero raises, SB calls down.

Loss: 3.5 BBs

Same board, same hand, but two different lines. You have your opponent dominated with top pair vs. middle pair in the first example. Most opponents will simply call you down after you raise the flop. If, however, you call on the flop, most opponents will bet/call down on the turn and you win more.

The next example has you dominated. If you raise on the flop, you will usually get a 3-bet from any top pair and continue in call down mode. If you raise on the turn, your opponent will be much less likely to 3-bet with top pair and a weak kicker. The result is that you don't lose any more by raising on the turn than by raising on the flop. Keep in mind that this depends in part on your opponent and your image. Realistically speaking, however, you will run into a lot of setups in which you win more with call flop, raise turn as opposed to raise flop, and lose the same when you end up being behind. This makes call flop, raise turn a better standard line.

Take a look at the next example:

Pre-flop: Hero is BU with Q, J
Villain is SB with Tx, 8x, Gutshot or OESD
Hero raises, SB 3-bets, Hero calls.

Flop: T, 8, Q (7 SBs)
SB bets, Hero raises, SB calls (down).

Your opponent will call down with a T or 8 and probably take a gutshot or OESD to the river before folding if unimproved.

You win 3 BBs when you are up against a made hand, and 2 BBs when your opponent is on a draw.

Win: 2-3 BBs

Pre-flop: Hero is BU with Q, J
Villain is SB with Tx, 8x, Gutshot or OESD
Hero raises, SB 3-bets, Hero calls.

Flop: T, 8, Q (7 SBs)
SB bets, Hero calls.

Turn: 4 (4.5 BBs)
SB bets, Hero raises, SB calls (down).
Win: 2.5-3.5 BBs

When you call on the flop and raise on the turn, you lose the same amount to a better hand that doesn't 3-bet as when you raise on the flop and call down a 3-bet, but win more from weaker hands that call you down when you wait for the turn before you raise.

Another problem your opponents will have on the turn when oop is the fact that the line check/raise turn with initiative is practically non-existant. This can be a very useful piece of information: If your opponent checks to you on the turn after you call on the flop, this will almost always be a check/fold or check/call (down). His check on the turn is a sign of weakness (unless he does balance this line with check/raises) and you can make more bluff calls on the flop and thin value bets on the turn.

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with 8, 3 / 4, 4 / 2, 2
SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: J, 3, 6 (4 SBs)
SB bets, Hero calls.

Turn: 5 (3 BBs)
SB checks, Hero bets

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with 8, 7 / 9, 8 / 7, 4
SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: J, 3, 6 (4 SBs)
SB Bets, Hero calls.

Turn: 2 (3 BBs)
SB checks, Hero bets

Given the board, you can be pretty sure that your opponent has a weak hand after he checks on the turn. You can make two thin value bets with a 3 or small pocket pair and be fairly certain you are ahead.

You balance your play with bluff calls (call flop with an option of raising on the turn is exactly what you're doing with a bluff call). This makes it harder for your opponent to play correctly in such a situation and he will be forced to call you down with A and K high hands and pay off your thin value bets.

Of course, this always depends on your opponent. There is no sense in bluffing an opponent who always calls down after checking on the turn. And depending on the size of your opponents leak, you may not need to balance at all and can either make thin value bets after a check on the turn or take a free card when you need one.

Turn raises tend to be more intimidating than flop raises, meaning you usually generate more fold equity with a turn raise. This is a bit of a paradox, since your opponent is getting better pot odds after you call flop, raise turn (1:6 pot odds, even 1:7 in a 3-bet pot) than if you were to raise flop, bet turn (1:5, or 1:6 in a 3-bet pot).

Most players are more willing to fold to a turn raise than a raise flop, bet turn, even though they are getting better odds. You can make use of this by calling on the flop with draws and raising on a good turn card.

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with J, 9
Villain is SB with A, 2
SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: 2, T, Q (4 SBs)
SB bets, Hero calls.

Turn: 7 (3 BBs)
SB bets, Hero raises, SB folds.

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with J, 9
Villain is SB with A, 2
SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: 2, T, Q (4 SBs)
SB bets, Hero raises, SB calls (down).

Your opponent will be more likely to fold his low pair on the turn than on the flop. He will usually call you down if you raise on the flop, assuming he doesn't see too many ugly cards.

If you know that your opponent sometimes folds a low pair on the turn, you should not play draws aggressively on the flop. If, of course, you don't think he will lay down a small pair, you should refrain from bluffing and only make value raises. Still, you can raise on the turn with J, 9
even against showdown bound players at times; you might get an A or K high hand to fold.

"I'd rather raise on the flop, since there are so many ugly cards that could show up on the turn and I won't want to raise if one does." You've probably heard or read this before, or even sais so yourself, but the logic behind this statement is flawed. You can often keep your opponent from seeing the turn with a flop raise in NL, but you will rarely succeed in doing so in FL.

Remember, the line call flop, raise turn doesn't mean you have to raise on the turn, it means you have the intent/option of doing so. If an ugly card shows up on the turn, you can be glad that you didn't raise on the flop. You can then switch to call down mode or simply fold. The additional information you gain on the turn can help you make the right decision regarding a raise.

Your hand's equity changes from flop to turn. This can be one vantage point in making your decision whether or not to raise on the turn. Take a look at this example:

Hero: 88
Villain: TT+,AJs+,KJs+,AJo+,KJo+

Pre-flop: Hero (CO) raises, Villain (BB) 3-bets, Hero calls.
Flop: 267r

Not a bad flop. You are ahead with 58.3% equity, but not all is said and done.

Your equity is going to change on the turn:

As you can see, your equity is going to take a jump on the turn (at least 10% for better or for worse). Your decision on the turn should be pretty easy: If a good card or a blank turns up, you continue with your plan and raise.

If an ugly card shows up (J, Q, K or A), you'll have refrain from raising and can only call. Whether you fold or continue to call even after an A or K on the river depends on your opponent. The key point in this hand is that you cannot prevent your opponent from seeing the turn by raising on the flop; a flop raise generates almost no fold equity whatsoever.

The advantages of using call flop, raise turn as a standard line are:

• You don't give away any information on the strength of your hand (neither by calling on the flop, nor by raising on the turn).
• You don't have to raise on the turn. You can make a better decision after you have seen the turn card.
• You can exploit leaks in your opponent's game when he is oop on the turn.
• It is very difficult for your opponents to exploit this line.

When to raise on the flop

You have seen why the line call flop, raise turn is, in general, better than a direct raise on the flop. There are, however, reasons to keep the line raise flop in your repertoire, even though it can theoretically be exploited by your opponents.

You can exploit your opponent's attempt to exploit your leak (your flop raise) with a counterline. You should only do this, however, when you think you are a step ahead of your opponent. The next section will show you a typical leak you can exploit with flop raises.

You will have a hard time raising on the turn when your opponent doesn't bet. If your opponent only raises on the turn with a made hand, you can win an additional SB by raising on the flop.

An example:

Pre-flop: Hero is BU with 7, 7
Hero raises, BB 3-bets, Hero calls.

Flop: 4, 2, 3 (6.5 SBs)
BB bets, Hero calls.

Turn: 3 (4.25 BBs)
BB checks, Hero bets, BB calls.

A passive opponent could easily check with A high on the turn. He knows that he has too many outs to fold and doesn't want to pay too much for his draw. You can win an additional SB by raising on the flop in this situation:

Pre-flop: Hero is BU with 7, 7
Hero raises, BB 3-bets, Hero calls.

Flop: 4, 2, 3 (6.5 SBs)
BB bets, Hero raises, BB calls.

When your opponent calls you down after you raise on the flop, you win 3 BBs (post-flop). You only win 2.5 BBs when you wait for the turn and are then unable to raise.

This shouldn't require much explanation. When you don't have a made hand to take to the showdown, you can win the pot by raising on the flop, since you know that you have high fold equity against a player with a high fold to flop raise value.

15-20% is normal. Anything above that is a leak and can be exploited. Of course, this doesn't mean you should raise the flop every time you are facing an opponent with a 21-22%, but you can consider raising with any two cards against an opponent with 30% or more.

Some opponents will call you down with A high after you raise on the flop, but are more likely to fold if you wait for the turn to raise. A flop raise is the best way to get a hand like A high to call you down when you have a made hand.

You can spot players who fold too easily on the turn by looking at their fold to turn raise stat. A normal value is 20-25%. 30-35% indicates a leak. Keep in mind, you need a made hand to play this line. You should wait for the turn and then consider a semi-bluff when you are on a draw.

Most players are more likely to check/raise the turn with initiative too seldom than too often, but you will run into this. This will cause you to run into trouble with you play call flop, raise turn.

What does this mean for you?

Imagine you called on the flop with a weak made hand and the PFA checks to you on the turn. You can usually assume you are ahead and can make two thin value bets against his A high (or similar).

You will, however, have a hard time betting with a weak hand against an opponent who check/raises with initiative just as often as he check/folds or check/calls. You also have RIO. You will basically have no other choice than checking behind with a weak made hand, even though you have an equity edge.

Your opponent will get to the river after having invested just 1 SB.

Your opponent is more likely to 3-bet after a flop raise than to call and check/raise the turn. Not only is 3-betting a stronger line, he doesn't want to see you fold a weak made hand on turn, or risk giving you a free card when he tries to check/raise.

If you are facing an opponent who is likely to check/raise the turn after a flop raise, you can make use of the line 'raise for free card.'

There is little sense in bluff calling against an opponent who is likely to check/raise on the turn. The idea behind the bluff call is that you can get your opponent to fold his hand if he checks to you on the turn.

You will be walking on thin ice if you bluff call against an opponent is more likely to check/raise than check/fold when he has initiative on the turn.

Here is how you can adjust your game: If you are going to bluff, bluff on the flop. It's 2 SBs cheaper than a bluff call that fails. If you have a decent draw, you may prefer to try taking a free card.

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with 9, 6 or 7, 3
SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: J, 8, 5 (4 SBs)
BB bets, Hero???

You should raise on the flop with 7, 3 if you think you can get your opponent to fold a hand like A2o. Bluff calling can be expensive due to the danger of a check/raise on the turn.

Calling with 9, 6 would be a good option, on the other hand. You can semi-bluff if your opponent bets the turn. His betting range is fairly weak and includes a number of hands he could fold to a raise, since he would normally play check/raise turn with quite a few good made hands. If he checks, you can take the free card and hope to improve on the river.

Turn: 2 (6 SBs)
BB checks, Hero checks behind after calling flop with 9, 6
BB bets, Hero raises

Note: Be careful with your river bluffs after checking behind on the turn. You will have trouble balancing your turn play, since you will rarely check behind with a made hand. An attentive opponent will exploit this and make tough, correct calls.

Flop raises can be a good (and relatively cheap) way of getting information from opponents who tend to play straightforwardly. Just remember that there is no sense in 'buying' information if you don't know how to put it to use once you have it. A lot of players raise the flop to see where they stand. Then a 3-bet comes letting them know they are behind. They decide to stay in the hand for the pot odds on the turn and call on the river since the pot is fairly large by then. This is an example of a player buying information and not putting it to use effectively (the exact opposite!). One of the main purposes of raising for information is finding a cheap way out of the hand.

An example:

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with 4, 4
SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: 7, K, 3 (4 SBs)
SB bets, Hero raises

Your opponent's reaction will tell you a good deal about where you stand with your hand. If you get a 3-bet on this board, you can make an easy fold in most cases. Finding out where you stood cost just 1 BB.

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with 4, 4
SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: 7, K, 3 (4 SBs)
SB bets, Hero raises, SB 3-bets, Hero folds.

You can be fairly certain that you have the best hand if your opponent calls. You can then make thin value bets on the turn and river, provided the board doesn't get too ugly.

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with 4, 4
SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: 7, K, 3 (4 SBs)
SB bets, Hero raises, SB calls.
Bet good turn & river

Suppose you had 53 instead. You could also raise for information on the flop, the only difference being that you wouldn't fold directly to a 3-bet.

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with 5, 3
SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: 7, K, 3 (4 SBs)
SB bets, Hero raises, SB 3-bets, Hero calls.

Turn: 2/7/8/9/T/J/Q/K/A
SB bets, Hero folds.

Turn: 4/6
SB bets, Hero calls.

Turn: 3/5
SB bets, Hero raises

You have to call on the flop, since you have outs for two pair, trips or a backdoor. You can then fold on the turn if you don't improve. Raise/call flop costs just as much as call flop, call turn, but gives you a much better impression of where you stand with your hand. Raising also gives your opponent the chance to fold a 6 outer. If your opponent calls your flop raise, continue playing as above with 44.

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with 5, 3
SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: 7, K, 3 (4 SBs)
SB bets, Hero raises, SB calls.

Bet good turn & river

You should, of course, be aware that you can't raise for information against a maniac. Any 'info' you might get is unreliable and you risk playing with very high RIO, since you will generally have no other choice than calling down.

If you are going to raise for information, you have to put the information you receive to use, which also means being able to fold your hand.

If, for example, you had 93s and a flush draw instead of 44, raising for information would not help you much, since you wouldn't be able to fold to a 3-bet, the sign that you are behind.

You may be able to justify raising for other reasons in such a situation, but gaining information is not one of them.

One of the reasons we mentioned for choosing call flop, raise turn was that a lot of opponents will only 3-bet the turn with very strong hands and are even likely to only call you down with hands stronger than yours.

But what if your opponent makes light 3-bets on the turn? Raising on the flop is actually better in these situations. The problem is that you will end up paying to the max fairly often when your opponent 3-bets with a fairly strong hand. Assuming you can't exploit his turn bluff frequency, you won't even be able to make good folds to his 3-bets. Try to avoid the high RIO that result when you have a hand marginally favored to win and raise the turn and your opponent always 3-bets with a better hand (remember the Excel sheets).

Choosing raise flop over call flop, raise turn is a way to avoid this problem.

Of course, this doesn't mean you have to raise the flop every time you are facing an opponent who plays the turn very aggressively. If you have a very strong hand, for example, you can exploit your opponent by playing call flop, raise turn and inducing one of his light 3-bets. You can then cap and maximize the value of your hand.

You might not even raise at all against such an opponent, since you won't know where you stand after a 3-bet and to avoid the high RIO.

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with J, T
SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: Q, 8, T (4 SBs)
SB bets, Hero raises…

This is not a good spot to play call flop, raise turn against a light turn 3-better. You have middle pair + gutshot and would have to call any 3-bet. You will hardly be able to fold on the river, either. You will end up paying your opponent the max every time he has a better hand.

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with A, K
SB raises, Hero 3-bets, SB caps, Hero calls.

Flop: T, K, 3 (8 SBs)
SB bets, Hero calls.

Turn: 6
SB bets, Hero raises, SB 3-bets, Hero caps, SB calls.

This is a good spot to exploit his light 3-bets and cap in a situation in which you would normally just call down. Your opponent could 3-bet with QQ, JJ or KQ putting you on a T or a draw and hoping to make you pay.

As you can see, there are a number of good reasons to raise the flop. It is worth noting, however, that these are exploitive lines that target opponents' leaks. This means you need to be thinking one step ahead of your opponent, otherwise your exploitive line will turn into a leak of your own.

Balancing turn calls

An inherent problem in using this line is balancing your turn calls. A TAG's turn call (after a flop call) is a sign of a very marginal hand trying to get to the showdown. So how can you balance these calls?

The most important options you have when in position are:

• Delayed river raise
• River bluff with a passively played draw

As we said, a turn call is usually a sign of weakness. You can give your turn call a bit of strength by following up with a river raise from time to time.

Here is an example of a delayed river raise:

Pre-flop: Hero is CO with Q, K
Hero raises, SB 3-bets, Hero calls.

Flop: T, Q, 5 (7 SBs)
SB bets, Hero calls.

Turn: 7 (4.5 BBs)
SB bets, Hero calls.

River: 2 (6.5 BBs)
SB bets, Hero raises, SB calls.

Your opponent can make thin value bets on the river, since he won't put you on a strong hand. He is guaranteed to bet any Q or T, and probably pocket 8s or 9s.

Your raise won't make much sense to him. He might put you on a busted draw bluff.

Which would be the other way of balancing your turn calls. Your opponent will often read this as value bet with a weak made hand.

An example:

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with T, 7
Villain is SB with A, 7
SB raises, Hero calls.

Flop: 9, 8, 2 (4 SBs)
SB bets, Hero calls.

Turn: 5 (3 BBs)
SB bets, Hero calls.

River: 4 (5BB)
SB checks, Hero bets, SB folds.

Call turn, bet river generates the same amount of fold equity as raise turn, bet river, but is 1 BB cheaper. And just imagine having to give up your hand on the river after a turn raise when your opponent has his finger on fold.

Balancing your turn calls also means that your opponents can't make thin value bets against you. This can lead to opponents making fewer value bets against you in the future. Just keep in mind that delayed river raises shouldn't be a standard move; they are a tool used to disguise your hand after a turn call. The goal is to keep your opponent wary so that he will be less willing to make value bets against you in the future.

Conclusion

As you can see, deciding when to raise with a good, playable hand when in position and without initiative is a complicated task. This article showed you a number of reasons why the line call flop, (optional) raise turn is a better standard move than raising directly on the flop.

Still, there are situations in which a flop raise has the highest EV. We also discussed delayed river raises as a means of balancing turn calls.

This article has given you the basic information you need to find the right line. You can now react to your opponents' actions better and target and exploit their leaks.

LINKS
Related Articles: Turn Play OOP Without Initiative and With Showdown Value Standard Lines Advanced Discussion Forum: Discuss the contents of this article in the forum