Turn Play - Basic Concepts
Introduction
This article explains
- Second barrels
- Non-nut made hands with draws
- Weak made hands without draws
- Strong made hands
The turn play in Pot Limit Omaha is significantly less dynamic than flop play. On the flop, you play only strong made hands and draws, choosing optimal lines to commit yourself by the turn. If you bet a nut draw and hit it on the turn, then you should always bet strongly in order to extract value from weaker made hands - mostly lower straights or flushes - and to protect your hand against redraws.
In most cases, you already plan a hand on the flop, which means that situations where you have to re-evaluate on the turn, as in Hold'em, are relatively rare. Weak made hands with which you made a continuation bet on the flop should often be played for pot control when scare cards hit, and bet in case a blank falls. On the flop in Pot Limit Omaha, you will almost only be called by weak draws which have to fold to a second barrel. Of course, a weak straight draw with top pair on the flop can become top two pair on the turn, and maybe raise the second barrel. However this happens relatively rarely, hence making second barrels on given boards very profitable.
The following pages will often refer directly to the Flop play article, so you should start by reading it.
1. Second Barrel
As explained previously, the second barrel in Pot Limit Omaha is the strongest weapon against people who will call weak draws and weak made hands on the flop and fold on the turn when unimproved against a bet, because of the too low implied odds. Thus a second barrel should be in every player's arsenal and be used whenever possible. The different possible scenarios are described below:
Scenario 1:
You raise first in from the BU and are called by both blinds.
Flop: Q
J
5
Your hand: K 9 8 7
SB and BB check to you, your c-bet pot size, SB folds and BB calls.
Turn: 5
BB checks to you. You bet 2/3 pot size.
This is a typical spot for a second barrel. BB will often play check/call on the flop with a weak draw, or a weak made hand like QJ**. In both cases, he must fold to a second barrel. QJ** is now way behind AA** and KK** as well as any set. He will almost always play check/fold on the turn with any draw for fear of being drawing dead already. A bet of 2/3 pot size represents a value bet. Indeed, a strong full house doesn't need protection anymore in this spot and can bet for value against draws. Hence this bet should bring any draw to fold.
Generally, all boards that pair on the turn are good for a second barrel, as all draws should fold. The best case is when the low card pairs, since someone who called with top two pair on the flop will now have a trash hand, and lower two pair hands will rarely call you on the flop. In case your second barrel is called on a paired board, then you should give up on the river almost every time.
Scenario 2:
You open-raise pot size from the BU and are called by both blinds.
Flop: Q J 5
Your hand: K 9 8 7
SB and BB check to you, your c-bet pot size, SB folds and BB calls.
Turn: 2
BB checks to you. You bet pot size.
This example is almost identical to the last. However this time the turn is a blank which will almost never help your opponent. In this case your bet should be a lot stronger, as if you were protecting against draws with top set. Here too, weak made hands like top two pair or weak draws like a nut flush draw or an OESD will give up the turn almost every time because of the too low implied odds, or simply because their hand is too weak to be played for stacks.
In case you are called again, a third barrel can be advisable on a blank river in order to get missed draws to fold.
Second barrels with draws
Since we almost only bet strong draws on the flop, we can fire again with them on the turn. The same applies as with second barrels with air, except we have more outs in case our opponent overplays his hand.
2. Non-nut made hands with draws
Scenario 3:
MP raises pot size, all fold to you on the BB. You call and see the flop heads up:
Flop: Q 8 3
Your hand: Q Q 7 2
The flop gives you a monster. You hold the best possible made hand with top set and have a relatively good flush draw to go with it. Since a heads-up flop is often c-bet, you check to the preflop aggressor, who checks behind.
Turn: T
This is one of the cards that makes a straight possible, which means that you do not hold the best possible hand anymore. However, you still have about 40% equity even against a made straight. Now, your opponent could have all sorts of strong straight draws or top two pair hands with which he will bet. Since he will also often bluff on the turn representing the straight, you check to him, hoping to get a bluff bet.
Villain bets pot size.
You have the following options:
1. Fold. This is out of the question, since you still have about 40% equity and only need 33% to call a pot-size bet.
2. Call. This is possible, but you are often still ahead and many scare cards can come on the river making possible straights, and it would be silly to have to lay down the best hand on the river.
3. Raise. You commit yourself, protecting against the many possible straight draws, often win the hand directly but also occasionally extract value from players with a turned set with straightdraw or top two pair against a player who doesn't want to fold, but played for pot control on the flop with top pair or a similar hand. In case you are against the straight, you still have 40% equity.
Thus it is often better to not lead the turn with strong hands that were checked on the flop. If you do, your opponent can see the river cheaply with weak made hands or draws, but will raise pot-size with the nuts, committing a lot of money profitably. Moreover, you will never get a bluff bet from him. Hence a check/raise in these situations is the best option.
3. Weak made hands with no draws
Since you practically never call with marginal hands on the flop, you will in most cases be the aggressor. Out of position, you always second barrel when blanks come, as explained in the previous pages. In case a scare card hits on the turn, you should choose between bet/fold and check/fold depending on the number of draws that could have hit. When you are called by more than one person on the flop, you should usually not bet if a draw hits, since someone will often have made a hand.
If you are in position, you can simply check behind for pot control on the turn with weak made hands. You should then often call a river bet, since many opponents will attempt to bluff on a river scare card.
Let's take a slightly modified version of scenario 8 from the flop play article:
Scenario 4:
MP open raises pot-size, you call from the CO, SB calls.
Board: J 8 4
Your hand: J
T 8 6
SB and MP check to you, you bet pot-size, SB calls and MP folds.
SB will often have a weak draw here, e.g. T9** or the nut flush draw, possibly with a pair. You should procede carefully on the turn, and not bet a card that could have completed a draw. Indeed, you will often be raised, making it impossible for you to see a cheap river with your four outs to the full house. Moreover, high cards like A or K are problematic, as they could give your opponent a higher two pair in addition to his draw, in which case he will not let go of his hand. Thus a check behind on the turn is the best option, even though it will give your opponent a free card for his draw. This way, you are keeping the pot small, and can decide on the river whether or not you want to call a bet. You should not value bet with an unimproved two pair, however.
4. Strong made hands
There is not much to say about turn play with strong made hands. A pot-size value bet is almost always advisable in order to provide maximum protection. In most cases, you will be the aggressor on the flop. However, if you only called with a straight or flush draw and complete your hand on the turn, you should always take the initiative and bet when out of position, since your opponent will often just check behind with a set or two pair and see a free river with a redraw to a full house.
Let's take example 13 from the flop play article and modify our position a little.
Scenario 5:
UTG limps, MP raises pot-size, CO calls, you call from SB, BB and UTG call. You see the flop 5-handed:
Board: 9 7 4
Your hand: A Q J T
Everyone checks to the preflop aggressor, who c-bets almost pot-size. CO folds, you call from the SB, BB folds and UTG over-calls.
Turn: T
You hit the nuts on the turn and are first to act. If you check, only a flush will bet, and any set will check behind. Hence you should take the initiative here and hope that someone will overplay a small flush or set. Giving a free card here would be a mistake. UTG's overcall on the flop will often mean a smaller flush, giving you a very profitable situation. In most cases, you should not attempt to play tricky.
Conclusion
Bluffs are more rare in Pot Limit Omaha than in other poker variants, meaning a check/raise on the turn is usually not advisable at the lower limits, since most opponents will simply take a free card with their weak draws. Just like conti-bets should almost never be floated, it is rare to catch bluffs. Hence a more straight-forward play on the turn is significantly more profitable than creative unconventional lines.
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