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Calling on the Turn
Gambling with Play
Money, as it were, in online poker rooms is a fantastic way to
improve your game once you are on your feet. However, if you
are still learning the rules of the game, even gambling with other
inexperienced players can make things confusing. If at all
possible, try to sit in on live games and watch players make
mistakes (as well as smart moves), which you yourself probably would
not even realize you were doing in a fast-paced game. Pay
special attention to the players who are winning most often.
If you do, you will surely not see them making a mistake that many
inexperienced or ill-informed players do quite often - and that is
calling raises on the turn far too often.
Calling raises on the
turn works well if you have a strong suspicion the player who made
the raise is bluffing. However, most players wait until the
turn to start building the pot on a very good hand. It is
almost always the case that a player who raises on the turn is at
least holding a high pair with a strong kicker. Unless you are
holding the same, you should think twice about calling a raise at
this point in the game. Most players also think twice about
semi-bluffing on the turn. One good way to determine if they
are semi-bluffing is by considering how tight of a table you are
sitting at. Watch out for the player trying to capitalize on a
tight table with aggressive actions. Even so, it is better to
only challenge a possible semi-bluff with nothing lower than a
medium pair.
A good question to ask
yourself is whether or not you would be willing to see the river
through if you hand does not improve after the turn. If you
answer no to this question, it is better to get out before the pot
odds decrease. If you decide to stay in, it is very likely you
will stay in for the river because you have already gone that far
into the hand. Remember...it is always easier to get out near
the flop. Whatever you do, do not beat yourself up if you see
that the medium pair you folded would have won the pot if you stayed
in. In the long run, your odds are much better the sooner you
fold with a weak hand.
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