Turn raise in Fixed Limit Hold’em

Fixed limit Holdem is a great poker game to play. Mainly because inexperienced players will not fully understand many of the small tactically raises that is so important to make in Fixed Limit Poker.

A great move

The turn raise in position is one of these really great moves that overall will add a lot to your winnings when playing against poker players who never three bet in that spot. If your opponent bet turn and you call followed by a river bet and a call then you have invested 2 big bets in the pot.

When your opponent bet the turn and you decide to raise you will immediately be in for the same 2 bets but as this move is used against passive players then the river betting follow a specific pattern namely that your opponent check to you and thus you can check behind and get the showdown for the exact same price as in the aforementioned situation where you call twice.

So far we have established that in most situations against passive players the expense of making a raise on the turn is cost neutral compared to just calling which lead to an extremely beneficial situation. First of all the turn raise might make your opponent fold his hand right then and there awarding you the pot immediately without further risk or any guessing needed on the river.

Things to be aware of

Secondly you might have the best hand already and thus charge your opponent an extra bet every time he is on a draw. Just calling the turn will on many occasions cost you a bet because your opponent give up on the river and check folds if he did not hit his hand. Raising turn has to become more or less second nature almost no matter what hand you hold as it simply is to strong and to profitable a move to pass on against passive players. Should a passive player make the three bet after you made the turn raise you can be more or less certain he has close to nuts and folding is a fairly easy decision.

Thirdly value betting the river or simply checking the river down is suddenly options to choose between. If you improved your hand it should of course be bet and if not it will always be a judgment call what course of action should be taken on the river.

Against aggressive players who understand what you are doing on the turn the situation changes quite a bit and the strategy has to be accordingly to your opponent’s style of play.

If you are out of position and fairly good opponents raise you on the turn then it is evident with the knowledge we have to make sure to three bet him often as you do not want to become the passive player. Go ahead and raise the turn more often and you will immediately see an improvement in your fixed limit results and overall winnings.