Hey guys,
Thanks for your answers.
For me, the turn is generally the place where I decide whether or not I want to play a big pot. I'm usually betting or raising with a polarized range: either my very strong hands, semi-bluffing hands, or pure bluffs.
I consider TPTK to be a medium to strong hand depending on the situation. It has a lot of showdown value, so I usually want to get to showdown and not get blown off my hand in situations where I'm not willing to get all my chips in the middle. I generally want to get 2 streets of value against an unknown on a dry board, but will put my stack in the middle with a wet board or when effective stacks are roughly 30BB or less.
I pretty much agree with fx's analysis, with a couple of modifications. I have a feeling you are destined to move up in stakes soon sir.
1) IP - Kh 9s 4c (6d) If villain checks the turn I'm likely to check behind, I have position and a single pair on a board without many draws. No sense making the pot too big here with a small hand.
This is sound advice. While there are a lot of hands that check-call the flop that we beat (KQ, KJ, KT, QJ, JT, J9, T9, 98, pocket pairs like 77, 88, TT and Kxs in a lot of low limit games) most of these hands will not continue if you barrel the turn. Only KQ and KJ are likely to call a 3rd barrel on the river and that becomes less likely as you go up in stakes. You are much better off to check the turn to try and induce a river bluff or "thin value bet" from your opponent. If your opponent checks the river as well, a 2/3 to 3/4-pot bet will usually get paid, as you should have bet the turn with a K, right?
2) IP - Kh Jh 7d (4d)
This board is very draw heavy. If villain checks I'm usually betting 1/2 pot or larger on the turn. If villain bets out though I may just call as I don't want to give him a chance to re-open the betting and create a +EV situation by re-raising, then if River is a brick for any draw he may be on I'm likely to re-raise over any River Bet.
I'm a strong believer in making opponents pay dearly for their draws on the turn. Fx again has provided pretty good advice, as I'm certainly betting the turn IP on a draw heavy board when my opponent checks. If I get check-raised, I'll be willing to put my stack in the middle readless and if I've run into a set, well, time to open up the notepad.
If my opponent leads out, I will either call or raise, usually depending on his stack size and the pot odds he's laid himself with the bet.
The one thing I disagree with is raising the river on a brick that misses all of the draws. At this point, out TPTK is officially a bluffcatcher. If you raise, all of the missed draws will fold and only stronger hands will call. If he checks the river, it's generally time to value bet.
3) OOP - Kh 9s 4c (6d) This is a more villain deprndent situation. If my opponent is a calling station I'd probably make a 1/2 pot value bet. If villain is overly aggressive and bets anytime someone checks I think I am check-raising. Against an unknown without any reads probably check calling and re-evaluating on the river as I'm either WA/WB.
Again, good analysis imo. Since this exercise was against an unknown player, I'm usually check calling here as well. If my opponent checks behind on the turn, I'm probably either betting 2/3-3/4 the pot on the river to give the illusion that I have to bluff to win, since I've shown weakness on the turn, or just check-calling to give him the chance to bluff the river. This will usually be determined by my perceived notion of his abilities based on stack-size. If I choose to lead out on the river, I will most likely fold if my opponent sticks in a big raise here.
4) OOP - Kh Jh 7d (4d) Barrell this turn 100% of the time. Board is now pretty scary. If I get re-raised I might call and if the River is a blank check-raise all in.
Agreed with barrelling this turn, and simply calling a raise. You have roughly 80-85% equity against naked flush or straight draw (increases with blockers you might have), 75% against a pair and a flush draw, 65-68% against a straight flush draw, but you're drawing dead to sets.
What does that mean? Even against big draws you're pretty much WA/WB. By flat calling a raise, you'll be able to induce a lot of bluffs on the river by check-calling, especially on a scary river card. I would again argue against check-raising the river, even on a brick, because I can't see any hands worse than TPTK that are raising the turn AND calling a check-raise on the river.
If I barrel the turn and my opponent flat calls, I'm again going into check-call mode on the river, as I've gotten my 2 streets of value and am happy to induce a bluff on this board from one of the many hands that missed or decide I'm weak for checking the river.
Again, all of these are my standard lines against unknown opponents at probably all stakes from about NL25 and up, 6max or full ring.
