Poker And Check-raising
Check-raising is not a big part of the game. When you're in first position with a good hand, and you're genuinely undecided between betting for value and trying for a check-raise, you should usually go ahead and bet. Don't try to get fancy. You'll make the most money just by playing your hand in a straightforward manner. Bet when strong, check when weak.
That said, check-raising can be useful in certain situations, so it's important to know how this tactic works. Check-raising is designed to do one of two things:
1. Force players to fold if they don't want to call two or more bets cold.
2. Trap players for an extra bet after they have already called a bet.
To visualize how check-raising works, try a simple exercise. Imagine that there are four players in a game and you're in the big blind. The small blind folded, so you're Player #1, the player on your left is Player #2, the player across from you is Player #3, and the player on your right, and on the button, is Player #4. Because of the pre-flop action, you happen to know that Player #3 has a good hand and will bet or raise on the flop. The focus of this exercise, though, is Player #2.
When the flop comes, you can act in one of two ways:
1. You bet, and Player #2 calls. When Player #3 raises, everyone calls, including Player #2. Player #2 has now called two bets.
2. You check. Player #2 also checks and Player #3 bets. When the action gets back to you, you raise (you just check-raised) and Player #2, faced with the prospect of calling two bets cold, probably folds.
With your check-raise, you've just knocked out an opponent who probably had a mediocre hand and didn't want to call two bets at once.
Here's a list of points to keep in mind when you're thinking about check-raising:
1. Let your big, overall objective in the hand be your guide. Do you want players to fold, or do you want them in the hand so you can trap them for extra bets?
2. If someone check-raises you, and it's unexpected, pause and take a moment to think about what it might mean. Does the other player want you to call two bets cold, or is he worried that you'll call one bet and then another if he just bets?
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