Fancy Play Syndrome
A lot of beginners who play poker like to play fancy. They try out what they believe is an advance move and try to do something complicated when a simple move might have sufficed or might have even been more effective. One of the circumstances where this happens is when players slow-play. They think they are making a smart move by letting their opponent control the size of the pot then they go over the top and bet on the river.
First of all, the goal of playing poker is to win money. That's the ultimate goal, the more the better. Every single move you make should be directed to either making the most money you can or doing your best to not lose yours.
Slow-playing, however, does not allow you to do this. You cannot build up the pot just by checking. If you let the opponent control the pot, then you are following his pace, not yours.
Example:
You are dealt pocket 7s in a $1/$2 game. A player from early position raises $5. The rest of the table folds and you call. You are now heads-up. The flop comes down A 7 5 rainbow. The villain raises $8. You call again. The turn comes 10. No flushes are possible and the villain raises $16. Once again you call. The river comes a 3. The villain checks. You bet $40. The villain checks and shows his A K. You collect the money, which comes up to $141.
Slow-playing keeps the pot small that on the final street, the pot is too small for you to try and bet big. You cannot justify an all-in or a big bet as the pot is not big enough to give your opponent decent odds for calling. As a result, you can only bet a small amount that is justifiable in relation to the current pot size which, if not built up, will be relatively small. Either that or you risk the chance of your opponent folding when you overbet.
However, when you play your monsters without slow-playing, you are able to build up the pot on each street, which allows you to either bet big on the river or to go all-in. In the example above, if you had re-raised his raises with decent value bets, the pot size would be significantly larger than it would have been had you slow-played. Big enough that you get paid the amount you should be when you're holding a premium hand.
However, slow-playing isn't always bad. There are always situations in which slow-playing may be the best strategy to go to. Usually, when you go against an aggressive player who builds up the pot for you, then it is ok to slow-play. However, slow-playing every time you get a strong hand is not advisable as you will lose a ton of value. You should learn when to slow-play and pick your spots. Get a feel of the table and your opponents before you decide on how you should proceed.
Read more poker articles and play better poker today!
A lot of beginners who play poker like to play fancy. They try out what they believe is an advance move and try to do something complicated when a simple move might have sufficed or might have even been more effective. One of the circumstances where this happens is when players slow-play. They think they are making a smart move by letting their opponent control the size of the pot then they go over the top and bet on the river.
First of all, the goal of playing poker is to win money. That's the ultimate goal, the more the better. Every single move you make should be directed to either making the most money you can or doing your best to not lose yours.
Slow-playing, however, does not allow you to do this. You cannot build up the pot just by checking. If you let the opponent control the pot, then you are following his pace, not yours.
Example:
You are dealt pocket 7s in a $1/$2 game. A player from early position raises $5. The rest of the table folds and you call. You are now heads-up. The flop comes down A 7 5 rainbow. The villain raises $8. You call again. The turn comes 10. No flushes are possible and the villain raises $16. Once again you call. The river comes a 3. The villain checks. You bet $40. The villain checks and shows his A K. You collect the money, which comes up to $141.
Slow-playing keeps the pot small that on the final street, the pot is too small for you to try and bet big. You cannot justify an all-in or a big bet as the pot is not big enough to give your opponent decent odds for calling. As a result, you can only bet a small amount that is justifiable in relation to the current pot size which, if not built up, will be relatively small. Either that or you risk the chance of your opponent folding when you overbet.
However, when you play your monsters without slow-playing, you are able to build up the pot on each street, which allows you to either bet big on the river or to go all-in. In the example above, if you had re-raised his raises with decent value bets, the pot size would be significantly larger than it would have been had you slow-played. Big enough that you get paid the amount you should be when you're holding a premium hand.
However, slow-playing isn't always bad. There are always situations in which slow-playing may be the best strategy to go to. Usually, when you go against an aggressive player who builds up the pot for you, then it is ok to slow-play. However, slow-playing every time you get a strong hand is not advisable as you will lose a ton of value. You should learn when to slow-play and pick your spots. Get a feel of the table and your opponents before you decide on how you should proceed.
Read more poker articles and play better poker today!