What is the turn in poker

In those types of poker where common cards are used during the game, there are also conditional parts of the game – preflop, flop and postflop, which in turn consists of three so-called streets, namely: flop, turn and river. On each of them, community cards are laid out on the table – three on the flop, and one each on the turn and river. It is in this order that players receive five community cards to create the optimal combination and strengthen their starting hands – two personal cards issued to each participant at the very beginning of the game.

In earlier articles, we have already discussed what happens preflop, figured out what the flop is and what it can be, using the example of Texas Hold’em. Now let’s get acquainted with the turn, the second stage of the post-flop. What is the turn in poker As we said above, the turn is one of the streets in poker. At this stage, the fourth community card is revealed. Thus, six cards become available to players, and this is already quite enough to strengthen the hand and to understand their chances in the game. More than 85 percent of the time, the turn gives players a combination. The actions of participants on this trading street directly depend on whether their hands have strengthened or not. The turn is the time of the third auction and the participants will once again need to make decisions. Turn Strategy Before acting on the turn, a player needs to think about a few things, and we’re not just talking about evaluating his hand. You should take into account the possible range of opponents’ hands, and there are rarely many of them left for this street, that is, you need to understand whether their hands have strengthened or vice versa. Again, you need to provide for your position at the table – your order of decision-making. And think about how your opponents behaved in the previous stage. Evaluating the Hand on the Turn Experienced players know that even on this betting street, with the fourth card open, the hand may not yet be completed and needs to be strengthened. About what is the probability to strengthen on the river there is an indicative statistic: Combination Pair can become a Set (Three) with a probability of four percent. A set (Three of a Kind) has about an eight percent chance of turning into a Full House. With an open-ended straight draw, the odds of hitting a straight are 17 percent. And an inferior Flush draw can improve to a Flush with a 19 percent chance. So on the turn, you should carefully weigh your chances of improving and evaluate the opponent’s behavior – see what bets he will make. And in a situation where you have an average chance to improve your position on the river, and the opponent raises in half the pot, it is better not to risk it. If your hand is already a full-fledged and strong combination, you can play bolder and increase the pot with good bets. Estimating Villain’s Hands on the Turn Let’s also look at the likely or possibly made combinations Villain might have on the turn. And his possible behavior: With a strong full-fledged combination, your opponent is unlikely to “endure” until the next street, most likely he will bet and increase the pot. Although there may be a variation with slowplay, a strategy in which a strong hand will be played in a passive manner on purpose, in order to lull the vigilance of opponents. In a situation where medium-strength hands are made on the turn, opponents will try to get to the river with the least investment and get the fifth community card, in the hope of getting the missing one. The player with this hand is more likely to check or call. And if your hand is strong, you can provoke such a player to fold using a raise. When the turn hits a community card draw and your opponent is being cautious, he’s most likely planning to complete the draw with the missing out. Here you need to look at the size of his bet and make appropriate decisions about the risks. There is also a possibility that your opponent on the turn has not improved on the flop and has reached the current stage with the hope of improving. Such a participant, most likely, will not bet, and he held back on the flop. And, if the hand allows you, give him the opportunity to get at least a pair on the river stage and, increasing the pot at his expense, win. The turn – the impact of position on the game As we said above, our behavior on the turn street is influenced by several factors. And the position at the table also applies to them. Let’s look at them in more detail and try to understand how to behave better, according to the place: If you are in early position relative to the button – you cannot know how your opponents will behave, so it is better not to take risks without good reasons – without a strong ready combinations. Being in the middle position, relative to the button, you will have access to the decisions of those players who are sitting on the early one. And if they act with restraint and caution, you, with a normal hand, can afford to raise. Optimal for making decisions is a late position relative to the button. From this point you will see how everyone, or at least most of the participants, behaved, which means you can better understand the situation with their hands and make the best decision for your actions. Well, another very important factor that must be taken into account when playing on the turn is the actions and decisions of your opponents. It is logical to assume that the participant raising at the flop stage checks on the turn, then his hand did not improve and the expected desired card did not come. Summing up our review article, we are once again convinced that poker loves those who think at all stages of trading. Well, once again on the topic – the turn is one of the trading streets, on which the fourth of five community cards appears. It comes as soon as the flop trading – the first part of the postflop – ends. When making decisions on this street, keep an eye on the behavior of the participants remaining at the table, consider the strength of your hand and the potential of your opponents.