The turn & river are the most expensive streets in Texas Hold’em. Mistakes you make in these stages can lead to big loses, but you could also gain a big profit. First, you should carefully read the articles about pre-flop – flop game to make fewer mistakes on turn – river. This will help you figure out how to play in various situations.

How to play when your cont bet has been called on the flop and your hand has not improved.

If you are not in a good position, the best advice is to play check-fold in this circumstances. Sometimes you could keep attacking on the turn if you have noticed your opponent uses floating (calls a cont bet in a good position, to win the pot when you check on the turn). You may come across players who go all-in just because they have an extremely good hand, for instance: AK. They have no top pair but they can’t lay it down even on the turn (This portion doesn’t make sense, but I don’t remember the Russian site address to check the meaning.) They are satisfied with the hand as is and don’t seem to be too concerned about improving the hand. Don’t follow that lead, as it can be a big mistake.

If you are in a good position. Fold if your opponent makes a bet and check if he checks.

If you find yourself in a situation with no combinations, you should fold and just get out of the game. Don’t pay attention to the size of the bank, even if it’s very big already. Instead, you should stay calm because you don’t want to lose more money.

Premium hands (AA and KK) on turn - river.

A re-raised pot is not going to be considered here. See the article about games on the flop.

If you made a cont bet and the contender called your bet.

If you are not in a good position, you should play check-raise if your contender often floats. In most cases, the best idea is to continue the attack with a bet 2/3 the pot.(If you have КК, play the same way as with AA if there is no ace on the board). If there are three suited cards on the turn, play bet/fold against one opponent. Bet approximately 1/2-2/3 of the bank. You will probably want to check or fold if you are playing against two contenders.

If you are in a good position, you’re playing against just one person and he checks, you shouldbet 2/3 of the bank. Sometimes you may be afraid of investing more money on the river, because the pot is already quite big and you may think you can win the pot without additional risk, but this is a typical mistake. When you don’t get the full possible amount of money it means you also lose. We would recommend you always bet in a good position when your opponent checks. Be careful though, if the board has four straight or flush cards. Fold if the contender checks/raises on the turn. The only exception is when you have special notes on the opponent or when the contender has a short stack and you are to complete a small sum.

Play more carefully against two or more contenders. You need to pay close attention to what combinations are on the board—looking out for particularly strong ones. There may be more players wishing to catch you by playing check-raise. Check on the river if both opponents call your bets on the flop and turn.

Strong pairs JJ and QQ.

If there are one or more over cards on the flop and a player who has called your cont bet, you will likely want to play check-fold. If there are no over cards on the flop and you have just one contender, continue the attack on the turn. Don’t check on the turn. Any higher card on the turn will also likely not improve the contender’s hand. The most active and brave player will win the pot in this situation. If you see an over card on the board and there are two or more opponents, the best advice we could give is to give up the attack. These hands will be discussed in further articles. Hands like these often cause difficulties. You will need experience to play these kinds of hands.

Medium and small pairs on the turn often become weak hands, especially when your cont bet is called. You should play check/fold if there are over cards on the board. There are no exact recommendations for these hands.

Full House and higher.

The main goal with this hand is to get as much money in the pot as possible. Never think about the possibility of losing with this hand. It is always possible to have a week full house. For instance: you have 4-6 and 4-4-Q-Q on the board, or you have 22, and Q-4-4-4-A on the board. This is exclusion. You don’t have to be very active on the turn, especially when you are playing against several contenders. Remember that you are interested in a big pot.

Straight.

The most dangerous board for a straight is a board with a pair or a flush draw. That is why you should never play more slowly on the turn, because the river may bring a card which could create a stronger combination. You may lose confidence in your hand’s strength, which could cause the loss of the full possible amount of money. For instance: You have a straight and your contender has a set. He bets on the turn and you decide to slow down the game and just call the bet. The river brings the a third card of the same suit. Your contender is afraid of a flush and makes a small bet. You are similarly nervous, so you call. The fifth card has frightened both of you but has helped your opponent. He was ready to play with his whole stack on the turn.

Flush.

A flush is steadier against the turn and river, especially when you have a nut flush. Only pairs on the board can frighten you when you have this hand. Slow play is possible on the turn with a nut flush. This means you may just call a bet. If nobody has bet, you should attack.

Set.

A set on the turn is an extremely strong hand. However, there is a possibility of drawing a stronger combination on the river. If your opponent is more active, he may have a stronger hand than yours. If you estimate this possibility as a high one, call his bet and see the river in hopes of drawing a full house. You should fold a set in rare cases when there are four cards of a straight or flush on the board. You should also think about folding when there is a big bet on the river from a tight opponent. More often it is possible to show cards without putting in much money but not folding.

Trips.

If you have trips on the turn, you should decide at the beginning whether or not you will play on the stack or if you will control the pot and see the cards. Further articles will consider these examples.

Two pairs.

The less there are possibilities of straight or flush draws on the board, the stronger your two pairs. Two pairs are difficult to playing with. This is one of those hands which is very difficult to find a middle ground between (getting not full amount of money and losing a lot with). We will discuss this hand in further detail later on.

Top pair.

If you have a top pair, but have not won the pot on the flop, try to do it on the turn if you don’t see any aggressiveness from your opponents. If your bet on the flop has been called and on the turn the tight or less well-known contender starts attacking, either fold or just call. The game with a top pair is difficult and demands detailed consideration with examples. We will give you some examples soon. Taking into consideration the vulnerability of this combination, it is necessary to estimate the structure of the table with great attention. It is not necessary to inflate the bank on a combination like this, if you don’t have a great awareness of your opponents and their styles.

Unfinished combinations.

As previously stated in the articles about microlimits, any unfinished combinations essentially lose their strength on the turn. The advice given in those articles is helpful when dealing with unfinished combinations as well. You may want to re-read them.

If you already play well and profit on NL10, you can honestly say that you are earning money off poker. It is from that point, at which it is possible to grow and move further, gradually accumulating your bankroll. To play on NL10 it is of utmost importance to gain some important poker skills, such as using additional software. All this will help you later on as you try for higher rates.