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Check-Raising and Slow-Playing Tactic in Poker

Check-Raising

A check-raise is when Player A checks, some subsequent Player B bets, and then Player A raises when the action returns to him. This tactic has two effects. First, it forces any players between A and B who checked to pay two bets "cold" (without already having placed one bet) to remain in the hand after A raises. The requirement for two bets would decrease their pot odds from what it would have been if Player A had bet once right out and would thus give them more reason to fold. Second, a check-raise will probably extract two bets out of Player B and any other callers, whereas if Player A had bet when he first acted, these players would have only called that one bet. Thus, check-raising is a valid tactic when you have a pointed desire to (1) force out opponents on draws, or (2) increase the size of the pot or both.

Just remember that check-raising entails risk. If you have a strong hand and check with the intention of raising later, you are counting on a subsequent player to bet. If no one takes the bait, the betting will check around, and you won't have a chance to raise. The effect of this would be a smaller pot and free cards for all your opponents, which is exactly the opposite of what you wanted to achieve. Therefore, that initial act of checking is in many ways a bet in itself, because it has a certain chance of success at achieving a certain benefit.

You should attempt a check-raise only when you have a particular opponent in mind who you think will bet, either because he took the lead in the last round or because he's the type of player that will bet if no one else has. Avoid checking into a large field of opponents with the nonspecific hope that one of them will bet. Check-around's are particularly common in home games, because players tend to play passively.

Demonstrating the willingness to check-raise early in a game will cultivate your image as an aggressive player and will have a stifling effect on opponents who would otherwise bet their hands more assertively.

Slow-Playing

Slow-playing is an appropriate tactic when you have a hand that is so strong that you don't care about opponents sticking around to try to draw out on you. In fact, not only do you want them to draw, but you want them to hit their draws, after which they will lose a lot of money to you. Slow-playing can also be a valid, but more dangerous tactic if you have a moderately strong hand and are willing to risk having one or two opponents stick around to try to draw out on you. Slow-playing is an art form that is greatly dependent on the circumtances of the hand. But here are a few points:

1. Slow-playing is easiest when you are in late position because it allows you to preside over the building of your pot. In late position, your slow-play will most often take the form of just calling a bet when your hand strength justifies a raise. And if no one bets, you can still build the pot by making a bet; this will often be perceived as a "position bet," intended to steal the pot, instead of a sign of strength, which will attract callers.

2. In early position, slow-playing is more risky because it usually means checking, which exposes you to the chance that no one will bet. If you have a particular player in mind who you think will open, you can check. (This is similar to your reasoning in a check-raise, except that you are doing a check-call here.) Otherwise, from early position, you might just have to bet your hand and hope for callers. This is one of the intrinsic disadvantage of early position.

3. The fewer the number of opponents, the lower the threshold of your hand for which slow-playing is advisable. For example, in a heads-up Texas Hold'em match, slow-playing AA in the pocket by itself is sometimes appropriate. However, in a full game with many loose players in the pot, slow-playing even a set of aces after the flop is usually a bad idea. With most boards, three of a kind is just too vulnerable to straights or flushes for you to allow numerous opponents to draw cards cheaply. Slow-playing in situations like this is one of the most common mistakes from new players.