| The check raise is an important manoeuvre
in nl texas holdem but it is somewhat over used or it is used
incorrectly. |
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| A check-raise is when you check, someone
behind you now bets, and you re-raise this persons bet. It is
feigning weakness and then showing you were really strong after
all and were trapping. |
| The problem with a check raise is that it
can give away the strength of your hand. This is true because
to check raise a hand, most people will require a strong hand.
Therefore, if you check raise someone, their first thought should
be that you have a very strong hand and they may well fold a
reasonable hand themselves. |
| When to Check raise |
| 1 - You are a tight player and have made
a good hand in early position. |
| If you are a tight player, you will find
the more aggressive players bullying you and betting at you
a lot. It is important that you throw in a few check/raises
to stop this happening too often. This will let them know that
sometimes when you check, you are not weak and you have a good
hand. It is very important to mix your game. The other reason
is that if you are known as a tight player, if you come out
and bet, the players behind you will be more inclined to fold.
The only way to get paid in the hand may be to feign weakness. |
| 2 - You think that the player behind you
has nothing at the end of the pot. |
| If you think it likely that the player behind
you missed his flush and you have a really strong hand, it may
be worth check raising. It is still better to check raise than
check/call as the player betting may still actually have a decent
hand that you can beat. |
| 3 - When you have the deck “crippled” |
| If your hand is so strong that there is no
way your opponent can have much, the only way you may get paid
is to check and then check raise in the later rounds. |
| 4 - You are bluffing a good, tight player
and yo yourself have a tight image. |
| If you are playing against a good player
and you have been playing very tight, you MAY be wise to throw
in a check/raise bluff if you think that player is weak. Most
good players would have to put you on a strong hand. |
| When not to check raise |
| 1 - You are an aggressive player who bluffs
and bets a lot. |
| If this is you, then you should
not check raise very often, if at all. The reason is that because
you bet a lot, the players will be more inclined to call you
regardless. Your bet has less Kudos and people will not be inclined
to respect it as much. The fact that you like to bet and bluff
a lot has set people up for when you do have a real hand so
do not play it differently. |
| 2 - Someone behind you has raised and you
have picked up a big hand on the flop. |
| You see too many people who for example flop
a set of trips, having called a raise and who then proceed to
check/raise it. Now the original raiser has alarm bells ringing
and he may get away from a big hand like AA,KK etc. Far better
to come out and bet your hand into the raiser. Now it looks
less likely that you have a big hand. |
| 3 - Your hand is not strong enough. |
| It takes a strong hand to check/raise someone.
For example if you have called a raise with KQ suited and the
flop comes K 5 2, you still do not have a hand strong enough
to check raise with. You could well be beefing up a pot where
you are beaten. Far better to lead out the betting and se where
you stand. |
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