poker school
lesson nine: checking and calling
A majority of players win or play their best poker when they play tight and bet aggressively. There are two different techniques that you would want to apply a check and call strategy. These techniques are referred to as "slow-playing" and "inducing a bluff".
To start off, "slow playing" is playing a very strong hand as if it were a weak hand and this manoeuvre will help you trap your opponents into making extra bets during later betting rounds. This strategy is considered a reverse bluff. It typically involves checking and calling from early position, or smooth calling from middle or late position. Then when the action gets to the turn or river, and the bets have been increased, you raise or check-raise to escalate your win. This strategy is most successful when you have a strong hand that is not vulnerable to getting outdrawn, and when the expectations are there for your opponents to bet.
The second technique that we will discuss is "Inducing a bluff". This is generally used when you have a fairly strong hand. It is generally a good idea to use the check and call strategy when you have a fairly strong hand because your opponent may bet a hand that he would not call with. Typically, the best time to induce a bluff is during the last betting round, when you have continuously bet your hand in all the previous rounds, but you were unable to improve on it. Now, your top pair might not get called on the river by your opponent if it looks like they were drawing and missed, but it you show any weakness in your hand by checking, a player with a lesser pair or nothing at all may try to buy the pot. This now opens the door for you to pick up that extra bet by simply checking and calling. This avoids the risk of getting raised on the end, which will force you into a tough decision with just top pair.
In most cases, it is better to bet or raise a hand like top pair on the flop, as this will avoid giving your opponents free cards to look at, especially if there are several players still in the hand. Top pair generally does not hold up against several players without help from the board, because one of your opponents may hit two pair, a straight, or a flush. Betting on the flop will usually eliminate some of the players from the hand. Some players will miss the flop completely, and will fold to a bet, which is exactly what you want, because with having just one pair, you want to play against the fewest opponents possible (ideally one or two). Once you narrow the field, those players still remaining are making a mistake to continue to call your bets with a straight draw or flush draw, as the pot odds don't warrant it.
You make money playing poker by capitalizing on your opponent's mistakes, and by encouraging those mistakes. By checking the flop up front and having everyone else check behind you, there is a strong possibility that the turn may give one of your opponent's a bigger pair, a second pair, or possibly fill an inside-straight. Sometimes this move will create draws where nothing existed beforehand, and now you find yourself paying off a player who just hit a runner-runner flush. You would have saved yourself the pot if you had of bet on the flop. So make sure to only use the checking and calling strategy in the correct situations at the correct times. Remember, that top pair alone is not a strong enough hand to slow-play multiple opponents. You'll end up getting drawn out too often. Only consider checking and calling top pair during the last betting round, to possibly entice a weaker hand to bet.
That's a wrap for this session. Remember that poker is a learning experience, so if you do make a mistake learn from it and apply that gained knowledge to the next game. We'll see you at the next class where we'll discuss the art of bluffing.
good luck and enjoy your experiences at the poker tables
