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The turn: To check or not to check

Do you check on the turn? Are you ashamed of it? Just kidding. Like anything, whether you check on the turn depends on the situation. I can’t count myself in the camp of those who say “if you’re not raising, you should be folding.” I’ve said before it’s not always that black and white, and this is one gray area I’m proud to take part in.

Let’s be honest, sometimes you’re just trying to limp in, or limp through to the River. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. First of all, if you’re the guy who’s ALWAYS raising, you’re going to pick up some enemies along the way. While this might not bother you personally, it could greatly affect how others play against you. Somebody is going to get so frustrated they’re going to start calling every one of your raises, which might be playing into your hands at times, but certainly not always.

If you are just trying to slide by, and nobody raised up to your turn, what’s the point in raising? Really, if the group around you is half-skilled, they’ll see right through it, and you’ll just end up hurting yourself.

What if you have a high pair? You don’t know if it’ll hold up, but it’s strong enough to keep you in the hand. By not raising, you’re exercising some level of pot control (at least until the next guy raises for you).

And the obvious reason is a PlayersOnly bluff. This can have a two-fold effect. You get stronger hands you know you’ve beat (if your range is accurate) to stay in the hand. The longer they go, the more invested in the hand they are – even if that doesn’t mean financially invested. And second, you don’t scare off weaker hands. You know, the ones who are trying to limp through themselves. If you know you’re going to win (say trip aces at this point or something that’s almost a sure thing), having them stick around for the River might just help them catch that 2-pair card, making it tougher for them to fold when you finally do raise at that point.

Then there’s the ever-popular check-raise. The great trap of Texas Hold ‘Em. How about this saying? If you’re not checking, you’re not trapping