Slow Playing
Whenever you are dealt a good hand, the question
you always ask yourself is, should I slow play this
or not. Obviously the factors that you are weighing
over in your head are the fact that by slow playing
you have a chance to win lots more money, but you
also have a much larger chance of getting sucked out
on.
So lets go over when you should slow play and when
you shouldn’t
Times you shouldn’t slow play
- When your hand isn’t that good. A bad hand
to slow play would be top pair or even an over pair.
These hands are good, but they aren’t that good.
They are very vulnerable to lots of cards that could
come on later streets. Generally betting to thin the
crowd is advisable.
- When there are lots of draws. You never want to
give free cards to someone on a draw. Make them pay
to chase their flush or their straight. If they do
call, they might win, making it more expensive for
you, but any time they call when you have a higher
percentage of winning it is +EV for you. That is often
how much money is made and as long as you aren’t
playing above your bankroll you shouldn’t mind
people calling down with crap hands. In fact that
is what you should look for in table selection.
Times that you should slow play
- When you have a great hand that is unlikely to be
beat. Lets say you flopped a full house when there
is a flush draw out there, or flopped a nut flush.
These times you should slow play. Give people a chance
to hit their losing hand and lose their whole stack
to you. You hit the nut flush? Someone probably has
a lone K or Q of the suit. If they hit they will pay
you off.
Other things to consider are the size of a pot. It
is generally more advisable to slow play when there
is a small pot, because the implied odds are large
in comparison to the pot size. If there is a large
pot you want to win the pot right then. Forget about
milking it to the last dime.
This Article was written by
College
Poker Tips. Visit College Poker Tips to
get their great advice on No Limit Hold em and Omaha
Hi Lo
College Poker Tips is also hosting a Party
Poker Fish List, made up of over 30,000 hands
and 5,000 players. Use the free statistics to find
out who the fish, maniacs and rocks are, and how to
play against them.
