Don Not Slow Bet Your Way Out Of Big Pots!
December 16th, 2010 at 13:21
Slow bet on is a term used in poker – specially Texas Holdem – for trying to lure your opponents into producing a large bet so which you can trap them and take down an enormous pot.
It’s usually used with a quite great pre-flop palm such as pocket Aces on Kings. As an alternative to wagering major, the sluggish player will sit back and limp in (call or check) as if he does not have a hand worth betting, hoping that an opponent will have caught a lower pair or a straight draw and will come in with a big bet.
It is often a classic poker manouever and one which has won a lot of money for poker players down through the ages, except it has lost it’s effectiveness. The simple reason for this is that everybody is now slow betting their huge hands so it is practically expected.
So how do you use this predicament to your advantage?
In case you catch an enormous hand, you have to come out betting. Instead of wanting to tempt your opponents into producing a move so that you can come in over the top, generate the bet yourself. Now most amateur gamblers baulk in the thought of this in case the rest of the table folds and they "waste" their large hands, but in reality you are going to normally often have several betting action from somebody.
By wagering your large palm as an alternative to sluggish betting it, that you are performing a double bluff since most individuals would sluggish play it. Your competitors will generally assume you might be bluffing and you’ll acquire some betting action and ultimately win a lot more money.
The other reason you must bet is that should you do not bet, you are allowing your competitors a no cost look at the cards and every single time a card is turned over they might be converting a losing hand to a winning one.
There’s only one situation where it will usually pay to sluggish wager on your hand – whenever you flop an absolute monster that pretty much cannot be beaten. For instance say you happen to be dealt Ace, Four of clubs and the flop is Queen, Ten, 9 of clubs. You have just flopped the nut flush and you’re pretty significantly unbeatable. OK any individual could have a pair of Queens, 10s or 9s and catch a fourth on the turn or river, or they might be holding the King of clubs and catch the Jack for a straight flush, except the odds of you not winning are now remote.
This is the time to sluggish play your hand. You’ll find all sorts of hands that any person else could possibly be holding to make them assume they’re in a very good position here; 2 other clubs, a straight draw, triples or even just a Queen for the top pair, whatever they’ve got the odds are any person will feel it is worth wagering. If the flop or river produces a King, Queen Jack, 10 or 9 you could possibly obtain an enormous raise or even an all-in from somebody.
Now you let them create the pot up by just calling the bets and take down the pot with your nut flush.