These days it seems everyone and his sister is auto-betting the turn in limit.  This means that if a player, typically in position, bets the flop and is called, they bet the turn.  This has become nearly universal regardless of whether they have a hand, a draw, or nothing, or the texture of the flop, or who is calling them.

Auto-betting the turn has been happening for some time, and so far I seen few players adjusting to it.  Like all things poker, when they start doing something, you need to react.

Herewith some suggestions for adjustments:

• Stop check-raising the flop.
• Check-raise the turn a lot more, even light.
• Donk bet the river.

Stop check-raising the flop.  The primary reason to check-raise the flop (heads up) is to get your bets in with the best hand and avoid giving free cards.  The fear is that if you call the flop, the opponent will check the turn behind you.  Well, he won’t.  Not anymore.  He will bet.  He always does (some specific tough players excepted).  So why check-raise the flop?  Just wait, he will bet even if he is on a draw and needs a free card.  You may as well collect the extra big bet or two.

Check-raise the turn a lot more, even light.  We have seen that if you get a good flop, you should wait for the turn to check-raise more often.  But how about a mediocre flop?  Generally this was check and call territory, because the bettor normally had a good hand for his continued betting.  Even with a good hand, opponents will have to respect your check-raise.  This appears to cost money when you are beat, but not if you plan to check the river with your medium hands (and occasional powerful ones).  If you have check-raised and been called and you check the river,  most opponents will only bet with very good hands, fearing the strength you have shown.  Thus, if they bet and you only have a marginal hand, you can generally safely fold.  Of course, this is also opponent dependent, but it is fairly reliable.  To keep from being exploited, you must also be ready to check some excellent holdings and check-raise again on the river.

Donk bet the river.   Many opponents figure if they bet the turn and you call, they can always check the river behind you.  If you do call the turn, consider betting the river from out of position (donk bet).  Perhaps you do not like doing this for fear you will raised, and of course sometimes you will be,  but often you will pick up a crying call you could not get any other way.  And sometimes, he will fold, allowing you to not expose your hand.

OK, that’s it for now.  An upcoming column will explore this concept a bit more thoroughly, but I wanted to give you loyal website viewers a sneak preview.