If your opponent checks to you on the turn, you should usually bet if you don’t have decent showdown value, like with a weak top pair or strong middle pair. This looks very generic, but in general, it is tough to go wrong by betting when you have a monster hand. Firing two barrels as a bluff is also a great strategy, as most opponents will be calling with weak holdings if you continuation-bet as much as I suggest. Betting the turn is usually a great thing, as long as you have a plan for the situation when your opponent sticks around.
Suppose you raise 10-10 from middle position and the big blind calls. The flop comes A-10-2. If your opponent checks to you, make a normal continuation bet. This is not a spot to slow-play, as your opponent could have a strong hand, such as an ace, you are susceptible to losing to draws like K-Q, K-J, and Q-J, and if your opponent has a hand like Q-J and catches a queen or jack, he is unlikely to pay you off well. So, you make a normal bet. If your opponent calls, bet the turn every time, as he probably holds an ace. In this situation you can take a 10 out of his range because you have two of them and one is on the board. You needn’t fear a king, queen or jack on the turn because most opponents will fold gutshots with no overcards to your flop bet. If the turn is a king, queen or jack and your opponent check-raises, you should usually call, and call again on most rivers. If he did hit a gutshot, you simply got unlucky. You are betting this turn primarily because your opponent’s range is made up mostly of aces and he will usually go into call-down mode, gaining you a lot of chips.
Tend to bet most turns with Q-J instead of 10-10 on this board, as your opponent could have called the flop with just a 10. If you get lucky and river a king, you will win a lot of chips. Your opponent will have a decent hand if he calls on the flop and turn, and will pay off a large river bet. Occasionally he will be stubborn and show up with a 10. In these cases a queen or jack could bail you out, too. In general, bet your hand like you have the nuts even if you don’t. Some opponents may be tight enough to fold an ace to continued aggression.
One other prime spot to bet the turn is when your opponent was the pre-flop aggressor, made a continuation bet, was called and now checks the turn. If he raises before the flop and you call with J - 10 on the button, you should tend to call or raise his flop bet on an 8-7-6 board. If you just call his flop bet, you should usually bet if he checks to you on the turn unless it’s an ace, king or queen, as he is most likely giving up. Be quick to hit the brakes if he calls your turn bet, because he probably assumes you have a draw, in which case he will usually call the river. Unless your opponent is known for pot-control or tricky play, you should bet the turn and try to take down the pot any time he was the
aggressor and then checks, especially if you have no showdown value.
The last situation where you should look to fire a second barrel is when the turn drastically changes the board. Say you raise with K -10 and your opponent calls in the small blind. The flop comes Q - 8 -3 . Your opponent checks, you bet, and he calls. Bet again if the turn is an ace or king. It is rather interesting because when the king comes, you are hoping your opponent will put you on a bluff and when an ace comes, you are hoping he put you on an ace. Either way, this is a good way to balance.
Fire either turn because both drastically change the board. If your opponent had a queen, he no longer has top pair. Middle pairs also shrink up. If you have 5-4 instead of K-10, you should still fire the turn if an ace or king comes, hoping your opponent will fold.
When a flush or straight card comes, fire whether you have air or actually hit the straight or flush. Suppose you raise with Q -J and the board comes 5 -4 -2 . If you bet the flop and your opponent calls, you should bet every time you hit the flush on the turn and usually when you miss, as the board will change either way. Notice that top pair on the flop will rarely be top pair on the turn. Also, you always have some equity in the hand because you have the flush draw and overcards. If instead of Q -J you have Q -J , you should still bet most turns, again, because the board will drastically change. There are some spots where aggressive opponents will attempt to take you off your hand when a scare card comes. Most scare cards aren’t actually scare cards against these aggressive opponents. If you raise A-Q and someone calls on the button, you should bet every time the flop comes Q-6-4. Check if the turn is a king, not because you are scared of the king, but because you want to induce your opponent to bluff. He may show up with a king from time to time, but he will most likely see this scary looking card as an opportunity to bluff. If you check-call the turn, you have to check-call the river, as the board cannot change anymore and you still have a really strong hand. Do not fear the king, but neither should you check-raise the turn for value, in which case you are basically turning your hand into a weird bluff.
Notice that you should not continue betting the turn with marginal hands such as top pair because if you are raised on the turn, you will have a hard time figuring out if your hand is good. As in the A-Q example above, even if the turn is a blank, you should check the turn against most opponents because if you bet, you will have no idea what to do if your opponent raises. Checking in these spots is a form of pot control that will keep you from playing giant pots with hands that lose value as the pot gets huge.