Implied Threat of the River Bet
Another reason to double-barrel the turn is the implied threat of the river bet. The threat of losing a stack causes players to err on the side of caution, causing them to fold their marginal holdings on the turn. This puts their turn range face-up and makes it easier for you to play against them on future hands. I can’t recall how many times I’ve check-called the turn with a marginal hand because I knew my opponent would give me a free showdown at the river. Most players below 100NL don’t have the skills (or guts) to fire that last bet on the river. This is especially true if it is a big river bet. For this reason, you should incorporate bluffing the river into your game.
Having a reputation for not giving free showdowns allows you to take tons of uncontested pots because they know you have a few more bullets waiting for them in later streets. It’s not fun when you call with a mediocre hand on the turn and you don’t know what to do against a river bet that can possibly be an all-in.
The implied threat of the river bet is what makes position so important. You control whether you take a free showdown or not.
Posted by Joel
on Apr 29 2010. Filed under Poker Strategy.
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