Turn

1. Poker slang for the fourth community card in Texas Hold'em. The turn comes between the flop (the first three community cards) and the river (the fifth community card). It's also called "fourth street"
2. To make a hand on the fourth community card, as in "He turned a flush" (verb).

Popular Uses

I had a feeling my opponent had a big pocket pair, and even though I only had 5-6 of diamonds, I decided to call his raise pre-flop to see if I could hit. I flopped two diamonds and he decided to slow play, so I was able to see the turn for free. And what do you know? I hit my flush on the turn and ended up pulling in a huge pot! -Unknown

I can't believe that idiot called me with 5-6 and turned a flush. Fish. -Unknown's opponent

Origin

One reasonable possibility is that the term may be derived from horse racing (or any other race on a curved track). In a race, when the horses are coming around the final turn, they are nearing the end of the competition. Similarly, when the fourth community card is dealt in a poker hand, the hand is nearing an end.

You Should Also Know...

A common way to estimate the odds of hitting your hand after the turn is to multiply the number of outs by two and convert that to a percentage. For example, if you have eight outs you multiply eight by two to get sixteen, or a sixteen percent chance of making your hand.

Related Terms

Flop, River