Poker News

Ashley Adams

You probably already know what check-raising is. But just to be clear, here’s my simple definition. A check raise is an act of deception designed to make your hand look weak initially, to induce someone else to bet so you can then raise his bet in the same round of betting.

Thereare generally two applications for this move. Either you want to manipulate your opponent into putting two bets into the pot, when he would otherwise only call your single bet, or you want to create a double bet to knock out an opponent (or more than one opponent) who might otherwise call for a single bet. Here is an example of each application. Consider a Fourth Street hand in 7-Card Stud where you have (A-6) 6-A. Another player, who has (x-x)Q-7, completed the bet on Third Street. On Fourth Street you might check, reading your opponent for a pair of Queens, hoping he will bet so you can raise and get him to call. This gets you two bets instead of the one you probably would have gotten had you just played your hand straightforwardly and started off with a bet.

Similarly, imagine you have (A-5)A-6-9-5(A). Your opponent has (x-x)5h-2h-6c-10h(x) and has bet it as if she made a Flush on Sixth Street (calling your bets on Fourth and Fifth Street and then raising your bet on Sixth Street). On the River, you’ve made the Full House. Rather than betting, you check in this situation. Your opponent bets his Flush. You then raise, for a check-raise, earning yourself that extra bet when he calls.

Here’s an example of using the check-raise to knock out an opponent. You are dealt (3-3) A. You completed the bet (asa semi-bluff) on Third Street and ended up with two callers: the bring-in who has (x-x) 2c and the next player who has (x-x)10. He called the bring-in initially and then called your raise.

On Fourth Street you have (3-3)A-4. Your opponents have (x-x)2c-7c and (x-x)10-K. If the player with the (x-x)10-K is very aggressive, you might check here, expecting the next player, with (x-x)2c-7c to check and the (x-x) 10-K to bet. You would then raise, completing your check-raise and anticipating that the two-suited player would fold to the double bet. The 10-K might fold as well, which would, of course, be fine with you.

In some circles, especially among lower limit players and in home games, check-raising is frowned upon or banned. Some players view it as unethical - “sandbagging” or “backstabbing” they call it. Somehow, for them, it’s all well and good to use deception when you’re weak and trying to look strong - bluffing in other words. But try to use deception to look weak when you’re really strong - well that they don’t tolerate. I’ve played with many of these players and I tried to reason with them. But here’s a word of caution. Don’t!!! I’ve found over the years that it’s a mistake to challenge anyone about this rule. First of all, you will rarely be successful. You’ll just stir up bad feeling among your opponents.

You might even be worse off if you are able to convince people to change their home game rule. Bad players may very well leave over such a rule change - irrational though their position is. At the very least they’ll tend to view you as a shark and give you less action. Also, check-raising only works if your opponents are good enough to be predictable - you must be pretty sure they’ll bet after your check.

Players opposed to check-raising rarely are that predictable.

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