Q&A #99: Taking A Free Card On The Turn, Or Giving It?

January 28th, 2008 by admin

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The free card play is an old limit hold’em standby. Raise the flop with position and a draw, and then if you miss on the turn, check it behind when they check to you. It can be a valuable play, but it also has a few downsides.

It gives away that you have a draw. That can lead you to winning less on the river if your draw gets there.
By using the play, you choose not to bluff, and bluffing might be more profitable. It sometimes becomes much more difficult to pick up the pot without making your draw if you take the free card.
If your draw is strong enough, you may even be able to bet it for value on the turn. In that case, you’re not getting a free card, you’re giving it.

Today Eric asks about a free card play in an extraordinary situation in a loose limit hold’em game.

I’m in a $40/80 limit hold’em game at Commerce Casino. I just sat down and I’m dealt A 2 as a late position blind in the cutoff. UTG+2 raises, middle position player flat calls, I 3-bet, the SB caps - field calls.

flop comes 4 5 5

SB bets. UTG+2 raises. MP calls. I 3-bet. field calls.

turn is 8 . SB checks. UTG+2 checks. MP checks. I check.

River is 8 .

check check check. i bet for value. SB calls. rest field fold i win.

What I should have done on the turn? I don’t think it is likely I will be raised on the turn. I think it is plausible multi people will call the turn so I was wondering if it’d be worth it in terms of equity to get another bet in on the turn. I know on the flop that every extra bet I put in multi-way is to my benefit (stoxtrader’s book - equity). The turn is harder to say since I’ve only one more card to come. With multiple callers and assuming I’m not going to get raised, how many would have to call to make it worthwhile to bet?

Also I think a single 3 to the bottom straight is probably live. and considering I put original raiser on an over-pair, I think an A may win it for me. But that is counterbalanced by the fact someone else may call with a better A high (i.e. AQ or something). But assuming some of the time he hits a set when I hit flush he will win and some of the time my A is good, i just assumed that I had 12 clean outs. What should I do on turn?

Glad to see the Commerce is still rocking it old school in the limit games.

Before I get to the turn question, which I agree is the most interesting point in the hand, I’ll go over the play on the other streets. Preflop, the 3-bet is ok, but I think a call is ok too given that you already have a cold-call in the hand. A2s is by far the weakest suited ace, and there’s a big strength gap between that hand and something like A8s (which I would tend to 3-bet). This 3-bet assumes a wide opening range from UTG+2 and very loose calling standards for most of the players in the game… fair assumptions for a Commerce game, but perhaps not for other limit games.

On the flop, you have an excellent draw with the nut flush draw, the wheel draw, and the ace overcard. Despite the paired flop, I like jamming for value here. You’ll win by the river often enough to justify banging in the bets.

And I like your river value bet a lot. Some people would check this river due to the double-pairing, but given the action thus far, you have no reason to put anyone on a 5 or 8, and you will get calls from pocket pairs and even stiff aces.

So let’s talk about the turn.

If you could somehow be 90+% sure that you wouldn’t get checkraised, I think you have a turn bet. Essentially, nothing can go too badly for you if you bet. If you get 3 calls, you’re likely getting value for your draw (given that you have potentially up to 15 outs, tainting notwithstanding). If you get 0 calls, obviously you’re stoked, though I wouldn’t hold my breath. Given the preflop 4-bet and the flop action, I think chances are the SB has a pocket pair, so he’s probably staying with you to the river. If only he calls, and if he has a pocket pair, then you are taking somewhat the worst of it on the turn if you bet, because he probably won’t fold to any river card. But if he’s got something like AK, then betting the turn could be huge for you by allowing you a possible win without showdown. (If I bet the turn and only the SB called, and then I bricked on the river, I’d look for a physical tell to try to put the SB on a pocket pair or non-pair. If I saw a possible non-pair, I’d bet the river and expect a fold often enough to justify the bluff.)

And if you get 2 calls, if you’re taking the worst of it equitywise, I think it’s only modestly so. Most of the time I expect exactly 3 calls, and that’s a fine outcome for a bet.

Now if you throw in a solid chance to get checkraised, perhaps by an aggressive SB, then I like checking behind more. Getting checkraised by the SB is a fairly negative outcome. And, though it’s unlikely, someone could still have you drawing dead here, and getting checkraised in that situation is really bad.

So if you feel good about your read that you won’t get checkraised, then I’d go ahead and bet. It’s probably about EV neutral for this hand, and it’s a generally action-inducing play for future hands. If I thought getting checkraised was a good possibility, then I’d probably check behind due to the paired board and the chances that you’ll lose even if you hit some of your outs.

If you throw in one extra opponent and unpair the board, I bet the turn all day long and I don’t fear a checkraise. Getting checkraised by a big pair could even clean up your ace outs by folding out a hand like AT, which could add 5% to your equity and basically pay for the price of the extra bet.

As the hand played out, though, I think the decision is fairly close and either betting or checking is ok. I tend to bet in situations like that in loose hold’em games on the principle that giving a little bit of “action” here and there will get me good action in the future.

Tags: big draws, commerce-casino, free card play, free-card, limit-holdem, los-angeles, poker, value betting

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