Bet Flop, Check/Raise Turn With Initiative

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).

Putting it into practice

Before you can recognize situations in which this line can be effective, you need to have a good understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of this move.

The goals of this line:

• Value maximization.
• In comparison to a call down with the better hand, which earns you 2 BBs, this line opens up the opportunity to win an additional BB for a total of 3 BBs.
• If you think your opponent has nothing but trash and would fold to a bet, you give him the chance to bluff. You also give him the chance to improve his hand enough so that he thinks his hand is good enough for a call on the river.
• You want to exploit your opponent's selective bluff calls.

The disadvantages of the line:

• The opponent can opt to take a free card and thus has the chance to complete his draw for free.
• The opponent decides to check with a made hand with which he would have called another turn and/or river bet, meaning you can extract one BB less.
• You also win one BB less in cases where the opponent would have raised a turn bet, which would in turn allow you to 3-bet. Your check/raise might scare him into call down mode.

We can now proceed to identify situations in which you can use this line. In general, the following conditions should be fulfilled:

• You are OOP and HU.
• You are in a WA / WB situation with a drawless board and a fitting opponent type.
• You have good reasons to assume that the opponent will bet.
• The opponent called your bet on the flop.
• You have a good made hand, but not a real monster.

Let's take a look at a few examples of situations in which these conditions are met.

Pre-flop: Hero is SB with K , 5
4 folds, Hero raises, BB (TAG) calls

Flop: (4 SB) K, 6, 2 (2 players)
Hero bets, BB calls

Turn: (3 BB) 7
Hero checks (with the intention of check/raising)

Hero raises first-in from the SB and is called by a TAG (which means the opponent has a really wide range).

The flop is drawless and still, the TAG calls your continuation bet. As there are hardly any possible draws, this usually means that your opponent either has a made hand or is setting up a bluff.

Possible made hands: the 6, 2, and pocket pairs (the king is also possible, but rather unlikely in this situation). On this board, you are in a WA/WB situation, but can see yourself ahead more often than behind.

The question now is whether or not your opponent will bet the turn if you check to him. This should be the case as his made hands are usually vulnerable to quite a lot of overcards, meaning the TAG doesn't want to hand out a free card. And if he made a bluff call on the flop, he will have to follow through and bet on the turn.

In this spot, the advantages definitely overweigh the disadvantages: You will usually have the better hand and can try to win up to 3 BBs more on the big streets. The board is also favorable for a bluff call. The disadvantages are rather minor: a free card will hardly ever help the opponent on this board and he will often bet in order to protect his made hands.

You will be in a tough spot if your opponent 3-bets. You will hardly ever lay down top pair in an aggressive game; you would need a good read on your opponent to make such a tough lay down. Still, this is no reason not to check/raise, since your opponent will rarely confront you with a 3-bet in this situation.

Pre-flop: Hero is SB with K , 5
4 folds, Hero raises, BB (TAG) calls

Flop: (4 SB) K, Q, 7 (2 players)
Hero bets, BB calls

Turn: (3 BB) 6
Hero bets

The situation is similar to the previous example, but the board is a little different. The main difference is that your opponent will often just check behind with a Q, since he will see himself as WA/WB.

If you check here, he will probably put you on check/raise or check/fold. There is no reason for him to protect his Q, however, as there are hardly any overcards which could harm his pair. Your opponent is much more likely to simply check behind than to bet.

Note: You aren't worried about give away a free card in this situation, since your opponent is very unlikely to have a decent draw. Your main concern is missing value by not betting when your opponent would have called.

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with K, J
2 folds, CO (33/13/1,5/36) calls, 2 folds, Hero raises, CO calls

Flop: (4,5 SB) J, 8, 4 (2 players)
Hero bets, CO calls

Turn: (3,25 BB) 6
Hero checks (with the intention of check/raising)

Your opponent seems relatively weak/semi-tight. He won't open limp from the CO with trash; you can put him on a small pocket pair, suited connectors or one-gappers (65s, 87s, KJo, QJo...) or possibly a suited baby ace.

All in all, this range is weak enough to raise him pre-flop with KJs. Your read also tells you that he won't call with trash hands on the flop, he employs raises economically and that he will bet whenever he believes his hand is the best.

After the flop, you can usually narrow his range down to a weaker made hand (like J9s, 87s, 55, A4s, and so on). He usually won't make loose calls with some kind of gutshot draw. You can therefore assume that your opponent will bet the turn and that you are ahead. Your goal now is to get as much value as you can.

An important point which makes this line so attractive against this opponent is the fact that you can't really 3-bet a turn raise. It wouldn't be a disaster if your opponent happened to fold a worse hand to the check/raise either, as he would be giving up on a whole 5 outs (excluding pocket pairs) for 6.25 to 1 odds - this might be a correct lay down, but he would still be giving up on his app. 11% equity.

If this opponent decides to 3-bet you, you have to pull yourself together and make a tough fold, even for 8.25 to 1 odds, as you will be drawing dead against a set all too often.

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with K, J
2 folds, CO (47/24/2,0/41) calls, 2 folds, Hero raises, CO calls

Flop: (4,5 SB) J, 8, 4 (2 players)
Hero bets, CO calls

Turn: (3,25 BB) 6
Hero bets

While the situation is the same as before, you are up against a real LAG this time. Check/raising is not your best option - you would rather induce a bluff raise than a bluff bet, since your hand is strong enough to 3-bet against your opponent's wide range with a clear edge.

You should refrain from check/raising the turn in situations in which you would prefer to bet/3-bet.

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with K, J
2 folds, CO (61/8/0,6/42) calls, 2 folds, Hero raises, CO calls

Flop: (4,5 SB) J, 8, 4 (2 players)
Hero bets, CO calls

Turn: (3,25 BB) 6
Hero bets

In this case, the opponent is quite a passive and loose fish. It would be fundamentally wrong not to bet here; your opponent will call with anything on the flop and can easily land in call down mode. He will, however, rarely ever bet on the turn with a weak hand.

Against passive fish, a check/raise on the turn with initiative is out of question.

Pre-flop: Hero is BB with A, 4
3 folds, BU (52/13/1,1/38) calls, 1 fold, Hero raises, BU calls

Flop: (4,5 SB) 4, 3, 3 (2 players)
Hero bets, BU calls

Turn: (3,25 BB) A
Hero checks (with the intention of check/raising)

A semi-passive fish open limps on the button, which is a good opportunity for you to raise your A4s with an equity edge. You are fairly well off on the flop with a TPTK. The button will call your bet with quite a wide range here and it's easily possible that he's holding two random overcards here.

The turn brings another good card for you: you hit top two pair and the button is drawing dead in almost all cases. You probably won't get another call from the button if he has a weaker hand. He doesn't appear to be the type of player that makes wild bluff raises on scare cards, either.

The check/raise is justified for two main reasons: first, you're hoping that the button makes a pointless bluff bet on the turn, which, while still improbable, is at least more probable than a bluff raise. This kind of opponent usually isn't smart enough to know that you would bet any non-ace hand in this spot, meaning the check/raise can only be a trap.

It's also quite improbable that Villain is holding an ace here, as the PFR indicates that the opponent does know where the raise button is located, at least pre-flop. If he has an ace, he is sure to bet, but he probably won't raise, since he only open limped, which is a sign that any ace is rather weak.

Are you worried about giving away a free card? Not really. Your opponent will usually be drawing dead when you are ahead. This is where we see the second advantage of check/raising: if your opponent intends to fold to a bet, he now has the chance to improve to second best hand on the river. If a J shows up on the river he might call a bet and show something like J 9.

In this spot you thus want to take advantage of two benefits of the check/raise. First, you want to induce a bluff bet, and second, you want him to hit second best hand on the river in case he was intending to play check/fold on the turn. You can also expect him to bet on the turn with any made hand that he would call down with, as well.

Read-specific check/raise

Pre-flop: Hero is CO with A , A
2 folds, Hero raises, Bu (50/16/1,2/40) calls, 2 folds

Flop: (5,5 SB) K, K, 2 (2 players)
Hero bets, Bu calls

Turn: (3,75 BB) 6
Hero checks (with the intention of check/raising)

This hand was taken from an actual game. The previously made read on your opponent: makes dumb calls and cold-calls pre-flop and is inclined to make trash calls on the flop only to fold on the turn.

As seen in Example 3, you are usually far ahead on the turn here. Your opponent usually doesn't have any outs against you and you wonder: If he has a weaker hand, would he check behind on the turn, or possibly call if I bet?

It's a hard question to answer. Ace high is quite improbable, as you're holding 2 aces yourself. He would bet a pair or a pocket pair himself, as he would assume to be ahead against two overcards.

Taking into account your read that he calls a lot of trash on the flop like J9o, he's probably drawing dead. Again, you want him to bluff or to improve to second best hand on the river. As you expect him to bet with a made hand, you can extract maximum value on the turn be check/raising for value.

If he does decide to 3-bet you here, you can call down without second thought.

Pre-flop: Hero is SB with A, K
1 fold, MP3 19/15/1,7/35) raises, 2 folds, Hero 3-bets, 1 fold, MP3 calls

Flop: (7 SB) T, 8, 5 (2 players)
Hero bets, MP3 calls

Turn: (3,25 BB) A
Hero checks (with the intention of check/raising)

A weak-tight rock raises from MP3 and you make a standard 3-bet with AKo; no one caps. Then your bet on the flop gets called. You can limit MP3's pre-flop range to AJo+, A9s+, KQ, KTs+ and 77-QQ (excluding AA and KK which would have capped pre-flop, and which are also less likely to be out there, since you have AK).

You can't expect your opponent to play call flop raise turn with AT or KT, since he isn't particularly aggressive or adventurous and will probably be afraid of facing JJ-AA after you 3-bet pre-flop. It's thus reasonable to expect him to raise a T on the flop, as well as 99 or even 77. He would probably fold KQ and KJ right away.

You therefore have good reason to assume that he is holding exactly what you are hoping he has: A high. The main factor which makes the check/raise so attractive here is that you can't really expect him to raise with a weaker ace on the turn, as he is not showing any particular strength.

You can therefore check and let him bet his ace, hoping to extract 3 BBs on the big streets. If he has a pocket pair, he will often fold it on the turn, or he might make a crying call on the river.

This spot is a rather close call overall, as you would prefer to bet/3bet against a lot of opponents in such a situation. This time, the main reason for the check/raise is the opponent type; you can assume that he would play a weaker ace WA/WB and not raise a bet on the turn, whereas he would probably bet himself if you check to him.

A 3-bet would be an ugly turn of events here, but with the given read, you can probably fold as you are usually always behind against two pair or a set, leaving you a mere 0-3 possible outs.

Bet flop, check/raise turn as a (semi-)bluff.

In all the examples shown so far, you always made use of the check/raise on the turn with initiative when you had a relatively good hand in order to maximize your value. As always, however, using the same line with a certain type of hand every time can backfire.

You don't need to worry too much about balancing your lines when you are up against a fish, but an attentive opponent will be able to read you like an open book if you always play the same line with a given type of hand. He will then be able to make tough folds and bold calls (correctly).

That's why you should, at times, use this line as a bluff or semi-bluff on the turn. Doing so can ensure that opponents will be willing to call you down in the future and may even occasionally get the better hand to fold to a check/raise when they would have called any bet. Finding the perfect spot for such a bluff is, of course, always a hard task. Here is an example of a situation in which you could use this line as a semi-bluff:

Pre-flop: Hero is SB with 9, 8
4 folds, Hero raises, BB (Thinking TAG) calls

Flop: (7 SB) K, 7, 4 (2 players)
Hero bets, BB calls

Turn: (3,25 BB) J
Hero checks (with the intention of check/raising)

You raise from the SB and get called by a good TAG. The ranges on both sides are huge in this case. The opponent's call on the flop doesn't really give you any additional information either. The opponent could play call flop, raise turn with a lot of hands; he could also bluff-call or call with marginal hands like 54s or 76s hoping to induce further bluffs from you.

The advantages of a check/raise in this spot are:

You can generate higher fold equity against better hands. If you bet, he might just call with 75o. If you check, he will usually bet with a made hand, since he could either have made a bluff call or expect you to fold and not want to give you the chance to get lucky on the river. He will often suspect your check/raise is a value play and will fold his marginal (but better!) hands.

Another advantage of checking is that you can't be bluffed. He could also decide to bluff/raise you himself, in which case you would have to 3-bet - an expensive matter if he doesn't decide to fold. The check/raise is less expensive and generates the same amount of fold equity. As you have to assume that a raise from your opponent is a good hand much more frequently than it is a bluff, you should try to avoid this betting sequence.

Another point which makes the check so attractive in this spot is the fact that a check behind doesn't really hurt you. On this board, your opponent won't play call flop, fold turn with a draw. If he is scared of a trap and simply checks behind, you can still hit one of your 18 outs on the river. If he makes a bluff call, you win one BB more due to his bluff bet on the turn, which he will, of course, fold to your check/raise.

Conclusion

The line described in this article doesn't represent a standard line. You can only apply it with a low frequency in contrast to your other lines. The examples described here are not "instructions" for spots where you "have to" employ this line. They are merely examples meant to incite you to keep your eyes open for the mentioned conditions under which the line can be put to use from time to time in order to extract an extra bet from your opponent.