www.pacificpoker.com – For anyone who likes to put out tester bets on the flop, as the first person to act, there is always going to be a problem on the turn if your opponent flat calls.
If they choose to reraise on the flop, most of the time, if you have nothing, you simply fold. This demonstrates the importance of position in poker, but there will still always be times when you have to act first and find yourself with this problem going into the turn. For me, the dilemma of whether to bluff at the pot again on the turn is decided by a few factors. Firstly you have to be very aware of how your opponent played their hand preflop, and how the texture of the board might tie in with any preflop raise, or lack of it. If the turn brings a card which is does not create more straight possibilities, or put a thrid card of a suit on the board, I am slightly more inclined to bet again. You should also be aware of your current chip stack and just how much potential damage you will do to your stack by firing out a second bet however. This is why generally, I do not make tester bets on a flop when I am shortstacked and first to act, because I do not have any room to manouevre on the turn.
The most important point here, as with any similar situation is that you have to be able to read where your opponents hand might be, and make your decision from there.
Table image is always important too, and if I am flat called on the flop at my local live game, I have learned to be very wary about making that second bet, as I know my aggressive style makes me a target for slow plays. www.pacificpoker.com