That headline doesn’t seem to make much sense, does it? How can someone slow roll an opponent, yet still build up the pot? Well, that’s simply the beauty of the beast, and a way that players can end up picking up quite a few chips on a single hand, whether it’s in a tournament or a cash game. The idea of slow rolling an opponent is something that is great to think about, but not always easy to do. Think about the situation for a moment: You are sitting with a flopped flush, and are holding the nuts potentially. What are the chances that a bet on that flop are going to draw any type of interest from your opponent? Very slim to none more than likely. Whether you’re first or second to act, and whether there is one other player, or five other players, you need to be willing to check the action and let the hand continue to play itself out.
Sure, there’s a good chance that no one will bet anything on that flop, while trying to either steal the pot, or possibly take down the pot with what they think is the best hand. That’s all irrelevant, though, because you just want to get the action on the following streets, and what you’re doing here is just slow rolling. There are many ways to do it, but this is probably the most common, and one of the smartest ways for you to slow roll and take down the pot. Let’s take a look at the strategy a bit more in-depth, and breakdown how you can make it so that you maximize the amount of money when you get a huge hand. Remember, betting early with the nuts and having your opponent fold doesn’t do you much good, so just slow it down!
Making Yourself Look Like the One Trying to Steal the Pot
This is where it’s so important to know how to think like your opponent. If you have the nuts, and the action gets checked to you, simply check down and get to the turn card. At this point, there’s a chance that your opponent may actually try to steal the pot, and you can just make the call, which could lead to them betting more on the river. On the other side of things, if the action is checked to you, then you can go ahead and put a bet out that will make it look like you’re the one trying to steal the pot. This is a great spot to be in, and could not only result in your opponent making the call, but possibly even trying to raise you while thinking that you’re bluffing.
Tack on the fact that, if you end up being the one who’s trying to “steal the pot” then when the river comes around and your opponent checks again, there’s a good chance that he or she could make another call and think that you’re bluffing. Or, if they bet out at you, you can three-bet the action and put the pressure back on them. It’s a great spot to play from, and one that can result in you bringing in a nice pot when all is said and done.
Getting Your Opponent to Buy-in to What You’re Selling
Sometimes the best way to slow roll isn’t just to check the flop. If the flop isn’t bad looking, and you’ve ended up with a big hand, you could put out a small bet that looks like a continuation bet. When this happens, if your opponent is acting after you and makes the call, you could check the turn, almost to make it look like you were just c-betting and hope that they end up betting out at you. This will happen in many situations, mostly because players will see an opportunity where they think they can steal the pot, even though that’s just not the case.
You’re essentially giving your opponent the idea that you aren’t sitting very strong, and that you don’t have interest in putting much extra into the pot. That’s obviously not the case, but if they believe it, then there’s a high likelihood that after you check the turn, that your opponent could put out a bet. Now in this spot, I’m not going to check the river, as I’d probably bet out here, likely leaving your opponent with a tough decision, but you did pick up some free money that you wouldn’t have originally won if you had just bet out and gotten your opponent to fold.
Sometimes in poker it’s about more than just trying to steal the pots and take the blinds, which is where slow playing comes into effect. It’s a great strategy, and if you don’t utilize it currently, you should make sure to give it a go regardless of whether you’re playing in cash games or tournaments, although it could end up being more affective during cash game play, as tournament players can be very, very tight.