The turn is probably the most overlooked and misplayed street in No Limit Holdem, it also happens to be the most important. On the turn players have almost all of the possible information they can have in a hand, as there is only one more card to come. Because it is the late stages of the hand, people who feel they have a strong hand have a tendency to bet a large amount in an effort to push out any opponents who may be looking to make a drawing hand. When you consider expected value of a hand, making a big over-bet on the turn can be a huge mistake.
What is considered to be an over-bet?
In No Limit Holdem, good players size their bets in relation to the size of the pot. You will often see a player making a pot sized bet, or betting half the pot. When a player makes greater than a pot sized bet, this is what is called over-betting the pot, which can lead to a decrease in profitability.
What is the problem with over-betting the pot?
To be as profitable as possible in No Limit Hold Em, you do not always want to be forcing your opponents to fold to your bets. What you should be attempting to do with your bets is give them poor odds to call, however making it small enough that they have a decision. When you make a pot sized bet, you are giving two-to-one pot odds to your opponent. Betting more than the pot will only give very few drawing hands the proper odds to be calling you to make their hand on the river. Poker players are aware of this play, and will often only be calling your over-bet with very strong made hands that already have you crushed. The reason that this is such an important play on the turn is because of pot odds, and players becoming pot committed. The problem is that if the pot is only slightly over-bet, chances are the pot odds will be good enough that you will still see a call.
When can over-betting be profitable?
An advanced player may make a large over-bet to hope to represent a big bluff when indeed they have a monster holding. The image you want to portray here is one of attempting to push everyone out of the pot. If a pot sized bet leaves you with only a few remaining chips, then going all in is a good option, even if the play is an over-bet of the pot. Opponents may be more inclined to make a call against you since there is no action to follow your all in. In a tournament, you can make an over-bet as a play to get weaker hands out effectively. When surviving is as important as it is in a tournament, players are not likely to put in a large portion of there chips against you, even if they do sense a slight weakness. Playing in a cash game, limiting your mistakes is as equally as important as making great plays, and you do not want to give yourself a chance to make a mistake by making over-betting a habit. In a tournament, it can be a very effective play to push scared opponents out of a pot. Not too many people are likely to call in a tournament for all of there chips when the odds are against them. For the same reason that over betting can be very dangerous on the turn, it can also be a profitable play. The turn is the most misplayed street in poker. You can absolutely maximize your value by making a minor over-bet while still giving enough pot odds to make a call. |
