In chapter 7 of Harrington on Hold ’em, Dan Harrington explains how betting on fourth and fifth street is where small technical edges and big strategic errors most often decide tournament outcomes, because stacks are now shallow relative to the pot and every bet can commit—or save—your tournament life.
1. Why the Turn and River Are Different
By fourth and fifth street:
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The board is mostly known
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Hand ranges are narrower
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The pot is often large relative to stacks
So decisions are no longer about general theory, but about:
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What your opponent has represented
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How likely draws have arrived
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How much money can still be won or lost
Good players think not only about winning the pot, but about winning the most chips possible when they are ahead and losing the least when they are behind.
2. Extracting Extra Bets When You Are Ahead
A core idea of this chapter is learning how to win two bets instead of one, or one instead of zero, when you think you have the best hand.
If your opponent has a weaker made hand (like top pair with a poor kicker):
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Big bets usually chase him away
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No bets give him free cards
The solution is small to medium value bets on both fourth and fifth street.
These bets:
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Look safe to your opponent
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Are hard to fold
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Add up to a lot of chips over a long tournament
Trying to trap with checks is risky because many players will simply check behind.
3. Choosing Between Betting and Checking on the Turn
When you think your opponent holds a worse pair:
You generally have three options:
1) Big bet
Used to protect against draws or dangerous boards.
It wins the pot immediately but reduces the chance of getting more value later.
2) Check
Used to induce a bet or a river call when the board is very safe or very scary.
Best when you have position.
3) Medium bet
Not optimal in isolation, but important for balance so opponents cannot read you.
Strong players rotate among these lines so their turn play remains unpredictable.
4. Fourth-Street Continuation Bets
Sometimes the turn puts you in the same situation you had on the flop:
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You might be ahead
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You might not
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Your opponent might fold
A half-pot bet on the turn works like a continuation bet:
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It wins the pot often enough to be profitable
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It forces opponents to reveal strength
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It keeps the cost of failure reasonable
Occasionally, players should delay this bet by checking the flop and betting the turn instead, making it look as though the turn card helped them.
5. How to Play Against Drawing Hands
If you believe your opponent is drawing:
You must bet on fourth street, not fifth.
Why:
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Checking gives a free card
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Betting on the river lets him fold when he misses
Your goal is to make his call incorrect.
Flush draws usually need about 4-to-1 to call.
Straight draws need slightly worse odds.
So the correct bet size is usually:
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Two-thirds to three-quarters of the pot
This gives him tempting but incorrect odds, which is exactly what you want.
6. How to Play a Draw Yourself
If you are drawing and face a bet on the turn:
You can usually call when:
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You are getting about 3-to-1 or better
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You have implied odds for a river bet
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You might already be ahead or win by pairing
Strong draws can therefore be played aggressively or passively depending on pot odds and opponent tendencies.
7. When the Scary Card Hits on the River
When a flush or straight card arrives and your opponent bets:
Use three filters:
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Multiple opponents?
If he is betting into more than one player, fold more often. -
Is he a known bluffer?
Bluffers should be called more frequently. -
What are the pot odds?
Small odds mean you should fold.
Big odds mean you should often call.
8. Avoiding “No-Win” Bets on the River
One of the biggest mistakes players make is betting when:
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Worse hands will fold
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Better hands will call or raise
This is a negative-value bet.
If the story of the hand suggests your opponent was drawing and may have hit, betting is usually wrong.
If the story suggests he has a worse made hand, betting is often correct.
9. All-In Bets on Fourth and Fifth Street
Good players avoid all-in bets when stacks are deep because:
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Pot-sized bets win more money
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They allow escape when beaten
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They keep opponents making mistakes
All-in moves are best when:
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You are slightly short-stacked
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You have a good but not great hand
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You are content to win the pot immediately
10. Information Is as Valuable as Chips
Throughout the chapter’s hands, one theme dominates:
Betting gives information.
Checking hides it but increases risk.
Leading out forces opponents to declare themselves.
Check-raising gives information too—but at a higher and more volatile cost.
Core Lesson of Chapter 7
Fourth and fifth street are not about dramatic bluffs or huge shoves.
They are about precision:
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Charging draws correctly
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Extracting thin value
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Avoiding hopeless bets
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And preserving flexibility
The players who survive long tournaments are not the ones who gamble wildly—they are the ones who quietly win extra bets while making their opponents pay to chase.