Part: Part Eight - Making Moves
The double-barrel
Flop
You opened and the big blind called. Flop Q♣ 7♦ 3♠ - you have A♥K♥ (overcards, backdoors). He checks.
A dry board, you have the lead and overcards. Best?
WhyA dry queen-high flop with two overcards and backdoor hearts is a fine place to fire: you fold out his weakest hands, keep the lead, and set up a second bullet if the right card comes. Not every c-bet needs a made hand behind it, just a plan.
What happensYou bet 1,400 and he calls. Pot 5,400 (13.5 BB) - one bullet fired, a turn still to come.
Turn
Turn A♥ - you pair your ace, and it's a card that scares his range. He checks.
The ace both improves you and threatens his hand. Best?
WhyThe ace is the ideal turn: you'd hold plenty of them, so it credibly scares him, and this time it handed you top pair, top kicker. Betting folds out his weaker pairs and draws while getting called by worse - pressure and value in the same bet.
What happensYou bet 3,400 and he folds. The scare card did the bluffing work, and you had the goods behind it if he'd called.
You fired the flop, then barreled a turn that favored your range - and it happened to pair you, too. Scare cards that hit your range are the cue to keep telling the story.
Barrel the turns that belong to your range - they make the story believable and squeeze out the marginal hands that peeled the flop.