The Art of Check Raising in Poker
In most cases, when you decide to use the check raise, you want to represent that you may have been deceptive with a good hand, hence you are bluffing. You want your opponent or opponent to fold. The check raise can also be used in a different way by trying to make the pot larger when you know you are going to take down the pot.
Let's look at an example. You are playing against a tight player. You have a loose image at the table. You have dealt five six suited, with no pre flop action. The flop is ace, eight, ten with two of the hard the same suite. You decide to check and your opponent puts out a small bet. Your read is that your opponent is only holding a small or medium pair. Now you decide to re raise four times his bet size, which is a good amount for such a raise. Now you are bluffing the pot since there is no way you could win the pot if you make it to the show down. You have just made your opponent believe that you could be holding the ace and if your read is right this tight player will muck his cards. Here you have won the pot by using the check raise.
On the other hand if your opponent is loose. He is playing the big blind and you are playing the small blind. You have been dealt ace king. He has raised pre flop and you call. The flop is dealt queen, ten, jack. You are now the first to act and you decide to check. The loose opponent now believes that you can steal the pot with a bet and he bets out. Now that it is your turn you bet five times his bet. He just may fold but he may call as a loose player. If you have a loose image at the table it will help even more. Either way you will when this pot and your check has gotten some of his money in the pot already so it is a win win situation for you.
Check raising is an easy play to understand and even easier to execute. You just need to find the right time to pull it off.
In most cases, when you decide to use the check raise, you want to represent that you may have been deceptive with a good hand, hence you are bluffing. You want your opponent or opponent to fold. The check raise can also be used in a different way by trying to make the pot larger when you know you are going to take down the pot.
Let's look at an example. You are playing against a tight player. You have a loose image at the table. You have dealt five six suited, with no pre flop action. The flop is ace, eight, ten with two of the hard the same suite. You decide to check and your opponent puts out a small bet. Your read is that your opponent is only holding a small or medium pair. Now you decide to re raise four times his bet size, which is a good amount for such a raise. Now you are bluffing the pot since there is no way you could win the pot if you make it to the show down. You have just made your opponent believe that you could be holding the ace and if your read is right this tight player will muck his cards. Here you have won the pot by using the check raise.
On the other hand if your opponent is loose. He is playing the big blind and you are playing the small blind. You have been dealt ace king. He has raised pre flop and you call. The flop is dealt queen, ten, jack. You are now the first to act and you decide to check. The loose opponent now believes that you can steal the pot with a bet and he bets out. Now that it is your turn you bet five times his bet. He just may fold but he may call as a loose player. If you have a loose image at the table it will help even more. Either way you will when this pot and your check has gotten some of his money in the pot already so it is a win win situation for you.
Check raising is an easy play to understand and even easier to execute. You just need to find the right time to pull it off.
