SLOWPLAYING IN POKER HOLDEM

Sometimes, when you have a good hand and want to get as well paid for it as possible, it can be a good idea to slowplay your hand. It is a risky strategy though, and you should be very restrictive about it, as you do not want to give an opponent a chance to draw out on you for free. At the same time, you should slowplay occasionally, partly to make your game less predictable and partly because sometimes, it is almost impossible to get paid any other way. You can even slowplay a high pair, like KK or AA, before the flop. If you do so, you must be prepared to abandon your hand (particularly KK, if there is an ace on the flop), if it becomes obvious on the flop or the turn that you risk losing a lot of money. As a rule, players who lack discipline lose a lot when they try to slowplay their high pairs, and then find themselves unable to fold.

When slowplaying may be correct

Other opportunities for slowplaying is when you hit a monster hand on the flop, i.e. when the flop gives you an extremely good hand. At those times, there are a few things that should be taken into consideration. If you run the risk of being outdrawn, for example if you flop the nut straight and there is a flush draw on the board, you should bet. Although, if you know that you are able to fold your straight when the flush card hits the board, you could still slowplay your hand. The perfect time for slowplaying is when you hit the nuts (best possible hand) that are hard to detect, while at the same time, there are no draws that could threaten you. For example, if you are holding 6♣8♣, and the flop comes 457 rainbow, this is an excellent opportunity to slowplay in order to win bigger bets on the turn and/or the river (if you slowplay a straight or a flush and the board pairs up on the turn, be careful; someone may have hit a full house). If the board is obvious instead, if you for example have AK, and the flop comes AA5, it often pays NOT to slowplay, as many players would expect someone with an ace in the hole to do just that, and many would interpret a bet as an aggressive bluff and play their weaker hands against you.

The only time you should ALWAYS slowplay is when you hit an unbeatable, giant of a hand on the flop or turn, and it is unlikely to pay off unless you slowplay. If you are in position, always make sure you bet on the river.

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