How to play the turn

The turn is basically the turning point in every single hand in poker. As the critical point of a hand, they say, the turn is what separates the men from the boys. The way you play the turn will not only greatly determine whether you’ll eventually win or lose, but it’s also a telltale clue as to what kind of poker player you are.
If you read poker articles on the internet, you’re sure to have come across the phrase: “bad players play their cards, good players play their opponents”.
Well, the turn is the one point in the game when playing the opponent becomes important and sometimes necessary.
Let’s take the following example: you get a good pocket hand and you flop a monster on top of it. Do you think you have it all made? Not exactly. You already know you’ll probably win, but how much you’ll win, is still to find out.
What you need to do in this situation is try to get your opponent(s) pot committed. At which point? On the turn, naturally. Why exactly do you need to get him pot-committed on the turn? So you can get him all in on the river and go for max value.
Every important move, such as the above needs to be done on the turn.
If you get an AK in the pocket (a hand which we all love so much, but one that can often backfire) and you do some aggressive betting preflop to cut down the opposition, you will naturally bet out on the flop no matter what hits the table. If a bunch of low rags hit, you still have 2 outs to make a winning hand, even if one of your opponents hits top pair on the flop. You’ll get called on the flop, and you get to the turning-point of the hand: the turn. This is where most rookies get it wrong. Since the turns brings nothing to improve on their AK, they figure they may as well fold, since all they have is a high-card. Wrong move. If there’s ever time to show and advertise strength, the turn is definitely it. Most people are afraid to fire their blanks twice, but that’s exactly what you should do in most such situations.
Fire again, let everyone know that you pack a serious punch and then watch them scatter in fear. This technique is especially good when you’re faced with solid tight players, why try to squeeze the most out of basic strategy.
This is the type of player that will fold his hand the easier, if he feels he doesn’t have something exceptional. Thus, you can well and truly take down a hand on nothing but your flimsy AK, possibly making people fold low pairs in the process.
There are certain situations when you definitely shouldn’t push the envelope on the flop. Good players are adept at recognizing such situations, as it all depends a lot on what reads they make on their opponents.
One such situation is when you know you’re faced with a maniac. The maniac will most likely call you all the way, so he’s not exactly the kind of person you want to try out your bluffing skills on. The other situation is when you get re-raised on the flop. That means the guy must have something very solid he acts on, or he’s a 100% on to what you’re doing, which is not highly likely. At any rate, you should always view the turn as the most important point in a poker-hand, the one which ultimately decides the outcome of every single hand.
All articles written by (c) James West.