Flop, Turn and River Poker Tips

Floating the flop

If you decide to float the flop, you must have position over your opponent. The play works like this:

You call a pre flop raise and miss the flop. At the flop your opponent make a C bet out of position.
You have noticed that this opponent often is very aggressive on the flop. Instead of giving up, you just call your opponents C bet. Since you miss the flop, there is no reason to invest more that you need to, but you also know that your opponent most likely miss the flop as well.

If you miss the turn and your opponent bets, you most likely must give up on the hand, since it is very likely that you are dealing with a real hand. Only few players will continue bluffing at the turn after they have been called on the flop.

If your opponent however checks at the turn, you can use your power of position and make a 60-70%pot size bet. This bet will take the pot down most of the time. It is a very strong and aggressive play, with a high success rate, especially if you not are using it too often.

Stop and Go Play

You are en a NL tournament and are running short of chips. You are in the BB with 5000 and the
blinds are 300/600 with a 70 ante. A big stack with 90.000 raise to 1800 from CO and you are in the
BB with AJo.

What should you do?
A. Go all in
B. Call
C. Fold

C: You only got 5000 left so you have to play an hand like AJo. Otherwise you most likely will bleed
yourself to dead.

A: It is not a terrible play, but not the best option. Since you opponent has such a big stack he will
most likely call you small raise with any two cards, and knock you out 30-50% of the times. To move
all in is only correct if you think you opponent will fold to such a small raise with a part of his range.

B. To call is the correct play in the situation, however with the obligation to move all in after the flop,
unless your flop a monster. Lets say that your opponent has a suited connector, or a small pair.
Non of you hit the flop and there is 4600 in the pot. If you then raise the pot with 3200 it is very likely
that your opponent will fold. This play is known as the stop and go play.

Check/Call on the Flop Out of Position

At way to neutralize you opponents’ position advantages is the check/call on the flop, combined with a raise on the turn. The play works like this:

Lets say you are in the blinds, and your opponent raise to 3.5 x BB from the button. You have a 88 and decide to call. The flop comes with a small pair and a K You check and your opponent make a medium size continuation bet. If your opponent is a really tight player you should let it go, however if your opponent makes a lot of continuation bets, you could decide to call. The turn brings another small card, and now you might be able to take the pot down with a raise.

If your opponent call your raise on the turn, you are must likely facing a real hand, however your bet on the turn protect your against a lager bluff on the river.

This play cost the same as a check raise on the flop, however you will look stronger in the eyes of your opponent, and you will make it all the way to the turn. Another benefit is that your keep the pot smaller with a marginal hand. Let’s say your check/raise on the flop and your opponent calls. What will you then do on the turn?

Fake Extra Outs with a Drawing Hands

h4 If you like to play suited connectors you need to pretend some extra fake outs from time to time.

Let’s say you are in the BB with 9Ts. A player raise from CO, the button calls and you decide to call with your suited connector.

The flop comes with 4,7,8 and two of a suite. You check, the first raiser check and the button raise the flop. Since you have an open ended straight draw with two over cards (14 outs) you decide to call and the first raiser folds.

The turn is a deuce but in the same suite as the two suited cards on the flop. You have to bet this card. You still have 8 outs to hit a straight on the river (and 6 outs to hit top pair), and a bet around 60% of the pot will very often take the pot down.

Even if your opponent has AA, he will not like his call, and it is very unlikely that he will re-raise you on the turn.

An easy way to calculate the odds

If you don’t know how to calculating the odds, here is an easy way to do it. It is not as precise as the normal way, but it will do.

Since there is 52 cards in the deck, and since only a few of them is known, each unknown cards represent about 2% of the remaining deck.

Lets say you have AK pf harts in the hole. At the flop there are 2 harts, but all the cards are small cards. Them there are 2 cards to come (turn and river). For each of them you have 15 outs. (the 9 remaining harts, the 3 remaining As, and the 3 remaining Ks). If any of these cards hit on the turn or river, you most likely have the best hand, unless youropponent has a set.

So, 15 outs x 2 % = 30 % each street. With 2 streets to come (turn and river) you changes are about 60 % to hit, at one of the streets. It is that simple. (The precise number is 61.7%). The reason the precise calculation is a little higher is, that at the flop there is only 47 remaining unknown card, and at the turn there is only 46 unknown cards, given each unknown card at little more than 2% change to hit.

You should however not care about this small difference. The 60% with the knowledge that the actual figure is slightly higher is precise enough for you to make the right decision.