The Pitfalls Of Slowplaying

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Slowplaying is seemingly one of the most tempting no-limit strategies. Flop a huge hand, and, in the immortal words of Elmer Fudd, be vewy vewy quiet. It fits with the image of poker as a game of deception; little do your opponents know that you’re waiting in the weeds ready to strike out with the nuts.

The reality of slowplaying, however, is not as attractive. First, it undersells your hand. What good is flopping a monster if you don’t win much money from it? Second, while you may be deceptive while you’re betting small, once you do break out the big bet, you’ll be much more readable than if you had just come on strong all along. Small bet, small bet, big bet is a tell-tale pattern for a slowplay. Big bet, big bet, big bet, and I won’t know if you’re strong, if you’re bluffing, or if you’re just crazy.

Slowplaying has its place, to be sure, but many slowplays are ill-considered. With that in mind, let’s examine a hand a reader posted on my message board.

It’s a $0.50-$1 game where most of the players involved have around $100 stacks except for the big blind who has only $20.

One player limps to our hero on the button who limps with 7 6 . The small blind completes, and the big blind checks.

The flop comes 7 6 5 , giving our hero top two on a very coordinated board. The small blind bets $2 into the $4 pot, the big blind calls, the limper calls, and our hero calls.

The turn is the 7 , completing a possible flush draw but giving our hero the nut full house. The small blind bets $4 into the $12 pot, the big blind calls, and the limper makes a minimum raise to $8. Our hero calls the $8, the small blind calls, and then the big blind moves all-in for $9 more. The limper calls the $9 raise, and it is hero’s action.

I would have played the hand very differently, raising a few times before this point.

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