No Limit – After the Turn

Many of the turn cards in No Limit Texas Holdem are the last card you are going to see. By this time you usually have a good feel about your status. If you think you have the best hand you should play aggressively and make it expensive for others to draw on you. As your good hand gets more vulnerable, the bet should be more aggressive.

For example, if you have As, Kh and the board is Ac, Qc, 9d, 3d, you could be up against a straight or flush draw. If you don’t have the best hand, there are a few possibilities:

1. If you have a drawable hand, check and call only if the pot odds are good (a rare situation when playing against good players).

2. If a scary card came (a pair or the third card of the same suit), it’s possible to bluff, especially if you have shown strength before the turn related to the scary card, or if the other player is unlikely to improve by this card. Otherwise, I would give up that hand.

3. Semi-bluffing – A semi-bluff is when your hand is not the best hand but has the potential to become the best hand. You should use a semi-bluff in order to make it harder for your opponents to read your hand. Sometimes, against a passive player who is hesitant about raising, you can bet and slow him down even though he has a better hand, thus making it profitable for you to see the river.