Taking The Free Card - How To Do It Right

Setting up to take a free card is when you raise from late position on the flop. By doing this, you are hoping that on the turn that your opponents will not want to raise again since they were not aggressive in the first place and have already spent chips on meeting your earlier raise.

So because they simply check then you too can also check and get to see the river thereafter.

Although you “pay” a small raise, this buys you the turn card and gets you to the river as well, hence why it is called “taking the free card”.

This works best when you play from late position and in no limit games. In limit games, people are more likely to want to see the showdown and will pay the limit to do so.

Taking the free card works well because at the river you can then raise if you think you are on to a winner or otherwise check-fold.

If you are re-raised at the flop then this gives a good indication of the type of player and hand that you are up against so at least you remain educated.

On the other hand, don’t give away the free card cheaply either. You could be giving someone with a poor hand a chance to turn it into a winning hand. If you yourself have a great hand then it is fine to give it away. Or if you think that you are up against a bunch of loose playing fish then it can also be a good idea to allow the free card to be taken as it will cost you relatively little to see such players at the showdown when they will also be less likely to hold good cards anyway.