The Art of Slow playing Poker - Mastering Slow Play in Poker

Slow play poker is the opposite of aggressive poker and it can be a great strategy for better results. Just learn well when it is a good idea to slow play in poker.

How to Slow Play

Slow play is the very opposite of aggressive play and it can be used as a way to hide a strong hand. By not acting with the confidence of the aggressive play you fool your opponents to think that you are stuck with a weak hand. This will hopefully make them bet stronger and leave you with a larger pot to win. If you play a poker game and you realize that your hand is so strong that you can play very aggressive it is time to consider slow play.

Instead of betting hard and making raise after raise you will simply leave this to your opponents. Instead of betting you will call and maybe even check if the opponents don’t bet. If you would have played aggressively the opponents might just fold but now they stay in for you to take them out at the end. Winning a bigger pot slowly but surely is the objective of slow play poker.

What is it Good For?

Slow play poker is obviously a pretty sneaky way to build a stronger bankroll. With a winning hand you could just let your opponents know that the game is yours by raising the bar so that they all have to fold. Instead you choose to milk them as much as possible before you take home the game. Is this strategy all about the money? At first glance it would certainly seem so but there is more to it than that.

When you have the comfort of knowing that your strong hand will take home the game you can win a lot by not taking the centre position where everyone sees what you are up to. Slow play gives you a more laid back position from where you can observe your opponents better. Take the time to see how different actions affect the play and make notes. When you are stuck with a hand that is less attractive you can make use of the insights you got during your slow play. Don’t forget to keep your eyes out for other slow players. If someone bets smaller than usual without calling all that much it is usually a sure sign of slow play poker going on.

Things to Look Out For

Slow play is not a strategy to use against beginner players. This method is bets suited around a table with very good and aggressive players. Advanced players are known for their love of stealing pots. By making them believe that you are weak you can really trap them into doing their best to make you fold. Slow play is not always a given success which is why you need to know your poker well to use it. If you play it wrongly you could risk loosing with your strong hand against a weaker one!