Texas Holdem Poker

A question that I have run across lately from a lot of Texas Holdem poker players involves slow playing.  Some players are not sure when they should slow play a big hand and when they should not slow play.  If you flop a top set, a straight, or even a full house, you want to get maximum value, but is slow playing always a good option?  Let’s take a look at this issue in depth.

First, what type of hand do you want to slow play?  Nut hands clearly are hands you would want to slow play, but there are others that are a little trickier.  What about top two pair?  Do you want to slow play this hand?  How about a set when there is a straight or flush draw potential?

If there is a chance that your hand can be outdrawn, this is a time where you do not want to slow play.  You want to go ahead and start getting value and push out any potential draws.  For example, you limp in with pocket deuces and the flop comes 2-J-10.  You have a set of deuces.  How do you want to play this hand now?  If someone bets into me, I am going to raise, and usually a strong raise.  If I am first to act, I am going to make around a pot sized bet.  This may seem counter-intuitive for those of you that want to disguise your hand strength, but if you don’t bet your hand to push out the draws, then your may end up wasting your set.

Next, you are in a hand against a Poker player that is a rock.  This person will only raise with a big pair and A-K suited.  He will bet on the flop when he hits the flop hard.  You hold K-Q in your hand in late position.  The rock has raised preflop and you decide to speculate with this hand.  The flop falls K-K-Q.  You have hit the current nuts against the rock.  Now you must decide if you will slow play this hand.  If the rock bets into you, what will you do?  First, the rock bet into you which means that he probably hit this flop hard, probably with Q-Q.  Some people would try and raise him here.

Personally, if the rock feels comfortable enough to bet into me, then I am going to let him bet.  Granted, there is a chance he has A-K or Aces and could outdraw me, but if he had A-A, I don’t think he would bet here.  I’m going to put him on A-K or Q-Q’s and let him bet into me.  Also, if the rock decides to check to me, then I am going to probably put him on an under pair.  At this point, a lot of this depends on what you have seen him do with big hands.  If he is someone that will call a bet with an underpair, then bet.  Otherwise, you will want to slow play and hope he improves his underpair.

Now, let’s take the same scenario we just went over and instead of a rock, insert a calling station.  This would be a time where I think slow playing would be wrong.  Calling stations will likely call down your bets to the river, so you should put some money into the pot.  If you don’t bet, you risk losing out on money earned as most calling stations will check the flop unless they hit it.  Of course if they do bet into you, then raise them.

Aggressive Online Poker players are usually the easiest to slow play against.  They will bet into you and as a result, you can usually just call them down until the river.  At the river, it is time to raise your opponent and hopefully extract more money if they have hit a hand.

As you can probably guess, some of these concepts relate to No Limit Holdem.  For you Limit Holdem players, I will modify this a little.  First, when you are in a hand where you can be outdraw to a potential flush or straight, you usually will not be able to force anyone out with a single bet.  At this point, your decision to bet or slow play will rely entirely on your opponent.  If you think that you opponent will bet into you, then slow play.  If not, then go ahead and bet out.  A set is a hand that you are going to try and get the most amount of money in the pot that you can unless you have a serious reason not to, such as four of one suit on the board and you don’t have one of that suit in your hand.  Also, in Limit Holdem, even if you think that your opponent has outdrawn you, it is usually wrong to fold on the river to a bet because the pot is laying such a huge price.

In Limit Holdem, I am going to usually check call a bet on the flop against most players when I have a nut hand.  Calling stations I will bet into regardless as in Limit Holdem, calling stations will call down most every bet.  There is no need to wait for them to make a hand here.  If they raise you, three bet them etc.  Rocks I am going to probably bet into as many times rocks become calling stations when they have a decent but non nut hand on the flop.  Aggressive players I am going to bet into and hope they raise me.  The exception is if I have a tight image.  Otherwise, I will revert to check-calling the flop.

As you can see, a lot of the decision on whether you slow play depends on the board texture.  The rest depends on your opponent.  As always, poker is situational and the “recommended” moves sometimes don’t hold true.  Hopefully this article will help you in your future decisions to slow play a big hand or not.  Good luck to you at the tables.