GTO Wizard: Tips for When to Call Bets on the Turn in Poker

Learn how to make the right decisions when calling a second barrel on the turn using tips from GTO Wizard. We'll help you avoid mistakes and increase your win rate.

In poker, one of the most challenging moments for players is deciding whether to continue against an opponent’s bet on the turn, especially when it comes to a second barrel (a follow-up bet after the flop). Even experienced players often find themselves uncertain in these spots, lacking hundreds of hours of GTO (Game Theory Optimal) study. As a result, many rely on intuition, without clear guidelines on when to defend and when to fold. In this article, we’ll take a close look at four key questions you should ask yourself when facing a barrel on the turn. Each one will help you determine whether your hand is suitable for continuing or if it’s better to fold. We’ll discuss the impact of bet size, board texture, the specifics of your range, and your hand’s potential to improve. All examples are based on analysis from GTO Wizard, one of the most respected GTO study tools. The Importance of Opponent’s Bet Size on the Turn The size of the bet you face on the turn is hugely important for your defense strategy. For example, if your opponent bets 75% of the pot, you need to defend a much wider range than if they bet 125% of the pot. However, in practice, many players don’t pay enough attention to bet size and fail to adjust their defense strategy accordingly. Example from SnG: HU, BB vs. Second Barrel Suppose you’re playing heads-up in a Sit and Go tournament, effective stacks are 16 big blinds. After a limp preflop, the flop comes 10♥ 9♥ 2♣. You’re in the big blind, check, then call a 1-blind c-bet. The turn is 3♠, and now your opponent fires a second barrel—either 75% of the pot or 100% of the pot. Solver analysis shows that your folding range changes significantly depending on bet size: facing a 75% pot bet, players fold about 40% of hands, but facing a 100% pot bet, they fold around 50%. This difference is substantial and directly affects your long-term profitability. Conclusion: The larger your opponent’s bet, the more often you should fold. Don’t ignore this factor—adjust your defense range based on the specific sizing. Board Connectivity and Having Pairs with Draws The second important factor is board structure. The more connected the board, the more hands in your range will combine a pair with additional outs (draws). For example, if there were many possible draws on the flop, you’ll have more hands with extra equity on the turn, not just high cards or backdoor draws. Example: Disconnected Flop and No Draws Consider this situation: flop Q♠ 7♥ 2♣, effective stack 16 blinds, turn is J♦. Here, your big blind range has almost no draws. This means you defended the flop with a lot of high cards or backdoor flush draws, as well as any pairs. On the turn, when your opponent continues aggression, the first hands to fold are the high cards and weak backdoors that didn’t improve. The remaining unpaired hands continue only if they have strong draws that can improve on the river, where high aggression is expected. When deciding which pairs to defend, two things are important: How easily can your pair be “outdrawn” by your opponent’s bluffs? For example, 7-x on this board has more equity than 2-x, because there are fewer overcards that can come on later streets for the seven. If you improve to two pair, will you beat most of your opponent’s two pairs? For example, hands like K2 or A2 are more valuable than 32, because if you make two pair, you’ll beat many of your opponent’s possible combinations. If you take a similar board, like Q♠ 3♥ 2♣ with a turn J♦, the difference between 3-x and 2-x isn’t as significant, since there are about the same number of overcards to both pairs. But hands like K2, K3, A2, A3 are still better, because if you make two pair, you’ll beat most of your opponent’s two pairs. Conclusion for disconnected boards: Continue with pairs that are hardest to “outdraw” and that, if improved to two pair, will give you an advantage over your opponent’s range. Example: Connected Flop and Having Pairs with Draws Now let’s look at a connected flop: J♥ 8♠ 6♥, effective stack 16 blinds, turn is 4♥, opponent bets 3 blinds. Here, your range includes many hands that combine a pair with a draw (for example, pair + gutshot, pair + flush draw). In these situations, priority in defense goes to pairs with additional outs , not just top pairs. If you filter for hands that are just a pair with no draw, you’ll see that even top pairs can be folded. Weak pairs (8-x, 6-x) that didn’t improve on the turn also become easy folds. The hands that continue are mostly those pairs that picked up extra equity—like a gutshot or flush draw. Conclusion for connected boards: Continue with pairs that have additional outs (redraws). The strength of the pair itself is less important—what matters is the chance to improve on the river. Summary Rules for Different Board Types Disconnected boards: Fold pairs that are easiest to “outdraw” and have the lowest implied odds if they improve to two pair. Connected boards: Fold pairs without draws, defend pairs with extra outs, regardless of the pair’s strength. There are also board types where you have very few top pairs in your range—such as ace or king-high flops with short stacks (<10 blinds). In these cases, second pairs are often the top of your range and should be defended more often. Example 1: Ace-high flop A♥ 10♦ 5♣, 16 blinds, turn 9♠, opponent bets 3 blinds. Here, all T-x, 9-x, and even more than half of 5-x continue, because you have few top pairs on this board, and most weak hands have already folded on the flop. Example 2: King-high flop K♥ 6♦ 5♦, 10 blinds, turn 10♠, opponent bets 2.5 blinds. Here, all 6-x are defended, because you have almost no K-x, and 6-x is the top of your range. If you compare this to a board like J♥ 6♦ 5♦, turn 10♠, you have many more J-x and two pairs, so your defense range will be wider. Four Questions for Making Turn Decisions So, when you face an opponent’s barrel on the turn, ask yourself these questions: What is the bet size? The bigger the bet, the more often you should fold. How connected is the board? On connected boards, defend pairs with draws; on disconnected boards, defend the strongest pairs and those with the best outs to two pair. How “capped” is your range preflop? If you have few top pairs, defend second pairs and weaker hands. If you improve to two pair, will you beat most of your opponent’s two pairs? Prefer to defend pairs that, if improved, will have an advantage over your opponent’s range. Example 1: King-high board, 14 blinds, K♠ 9♦ 8♦, turn 7♠, bet 3 blinds 75% pot bet—usually targets unpaired hands and weak pairs. The board is connected, so priority goes to pairs with draws (for example, 10♠7♥ is better than 9♥2♥). With 14 blinds, you still have plenty of K-x, so you’re not “capped.” For calling with low pairs without draws, it’s better to choose hands like A7, which can improve to two pair that beat many of your opponent’s combinations. As a result, according to the rules, you fold unimproved high cards and pairs without draws, and defend pairs with draws. Example 2: Ten-high board, 16 blinds, 10♣ 8♣ 3♥, turn 4♥, bet 4.5 blinds 112.5% pot bet—you need to fold more than against 75%. The board is semi-connected; there are pairs with draws in your range, but not many. The range isn’t capped; you have all top pairs and two pairs. It’s better to defend 8-x with high kickers that can improve to better two pairs. K3 and 82 without a flush draw are folded due to the large bet size. In the end, you continue only with the best 8-x combinations and those with draws or the best outs to two pair. It’s important to understand that there are no universal rules that always perfectly define your turn defense range. However, by following these four questions, you’ll be as close as possible to optimal decisions and will be able to confidently stand up to your opponents’ aggression. Table: Quick Reference for Turn Defense Question Recommendation Opponent’s bet size The bigger the bet, the narrower your defense range Board connectivity On connected boards—defend pairs with draws; on disconnected—strong pairs/best outs to two pair Range capping If you have few top pairs, defend second pairs and strong hands Potential to improve to two pair Prefer pairs that, if improved, will beat most of your opponent’s two pairs Practical Examples and Training To reinforce the material, it’s recommended to review similar situations yourself using GTO Wizard trainers or similar programs. For example, try: Practicing defense against a turn barrel after calling a c-bet on a disconnected flop in heads-up. Practicing defense against a turn barrel after calling a c-bet on a connected flop in heads-up. Pay attention to how your defense range changes depending on bet size and board structure. Note which hands continue and which fold, and why. What This Means for PPPoker Club Players For club game participants on the PPPoker platform, understanding these principles is especially important, since private clubs often feature unconventional play styles, and opponents may use aggressive turn barrels to pressure less experienced players. By using the four-question system above, you’ll make more balanced decisions and be less likely to fall victim to excessive aggression. In practice, many PPPoker club players underestimate the impact of opponent bet size and fail to consider board structure when defending on the turn. By applying GTO approaches, you’ll not only reduce your own mistakes but also better exploit opponents who play predictably and don’t adapt to changing hand dynamics. We recommend regularly analyzing your hands using GTO Wizard or other tools, and discussing tricky spots with more experienced club members. This will help you progress faster and achieve better results in PPPoker club games.