The Delicate Art of Slow Playing

BY: Johnny Hughes

Slow playing is an expert poker play that can turn a small pot into a big one but it is mighty risky. Recently, playing $2,$5, blinds pot limit Texas hold 'em, I held two Aces in the cut off seat in a ten handed game. Sadly, all the players folded to me so I smooth called the big blind. The button was an aggressive player and he brought it in for $20. Everyone folded to me and I smooth called again. The flop was A,9, 3. I checked and he made a continuation bet of $45. I smooth called my third time. The turn was the fourth Ace. Holding four Aces, I checked and he moved in his last $90. With two Aces, then three Aces, and then four Aces, I had never bet or raised...the classic slow play. Certain axioms of slow playing are revealed. Do it against one, or at most, two opponents unless you have such a monster it can't be drawn out on, ala quads. My hand was so big that he couldn't have anything. The only way to make money is if he bluffs. The texture of the flop was great for a slow play. With three Aces, if there are two cards above a nine, you don't slow play because you would be giving a free card to a possible straight draw.

Playing pot limit and no limit cash games, slow playing is made so much sweeter by the newer aggressive players influenced by tournaments and television. There are more raises and more move-ins before the flop, some most silly. I rarely raise in seats three or four. I'll slow play A,A, K,K, or A,K. If I raise to $20 and get one call, we have $60 in the pot and I am now first to act. If I smooth call the big blind, there are nine people I hope will raise. It is raised most of the time. Last time I made this play, I had A,K in the three seat. The four seat made it $20 to go and picked up six hitchhikers, making a nice little kettle. I raised a hundred and a half (a cow and a calf) and they folded like a row of dominoes. Please appreciate the mathematics and the joyous psychology of this. These hands play best against one opponent, so I like the big pre-flop raise to thin them out. You don't care if they call or not. You have the best-of-it on the gamble against any hand but K,K and A,A. Pot odds. For some reason, the all day suckers think this play means a small pair and hang themselves with A,Q.

There's an old saying that all two Aces are good for is "to win a little pot or lose a big one." That's really true if you slow play them incorrectly. If someone raises in front of you and you have two Aces, it is nearly always best to re-raise if there are more players left to act on their hands behind you. I target two or so players at the table that I want to get in a big pot with. These are folks I figure will make a bad play against me. I talk them into a psychological state that has them reject mathematics just as I embrace it more closely. These are the people I want to slow play against. Twice recently I made an error smooth calling the target sucker's raise with two Aces. Both times it allowed a small pair in behind me and the small pair tripped. Both times, I moved in after the flop. Once, miraculously, in Las Vegas, the flop came 7,4,2 and a lady who had flopped three fours laid them down putting me on top trips.

If you flop a monster, the nuts, you have until fifth street to make a big bet. By checking, you allow them to bet or catch up, hitting an Ace that won't do them any good. Checking the nuts lulls someone into thinking they can win the pot on a marginal hand. Recently I held 10,9 of Spades on the button. Five people had called $20 and I did also. The flop came 9,9, 3 and we all checked. The next card was an Ace and everyone checked to me. The board was A,9,9,3. I bet $50 and the very best player in all of West Texas called me. Fifth street brought a Ten giving me a full house. He bet $100 and I raised $240. He studied a long time and asked me if I had two tens. I began to get that sinking feeling. He called and showed me an A,9, for a bigger full house. He slow played perfectly. He checked until his head wasn't any bigger than a peanut. He trapped a pretty good trapper.

Most folks slow play trips or a set wrong. If you have J,J and the flop comes J,10,2, you need to bet. So many people play two big cards that you would be giving a free straight card to many hands. I like to lead off with a minimum test-the-waters type of bet that allows some aggressive semi-bluffer to hang his own self. If you have position, a weakish sounding little 'ole bet brings out the larceny in many an aggressive player. Be sure to open the betting some small way. If the flop comes J, 6, 2, I'll slow play and let them hit a big pair or go to stealing.

If you have a small pair in early position and hit trips, this is a good time to slow play if there are not two straight cards or flush cards out there. If you have 7,7, and the flop comes A, 7,2 rainbow or K,7,2 rainbow, it is a good time to slow play. Depending on the other player's style, patterns, and whether he is winner or loser, I'll check and raise or check and call. When you flop trips, you are such a huge favorite against most hands that a free card won't hurt you. If they trip, you fill, how wonderful. Most people check raise here and run off bluffers and marginal hands. If your opponent calls the blind and does not raise and calls the raise in a multi-player pot, he may have a small pair. If he then check raises, it looks like trips but is hard for top pair top kicker to get away from. Since this most simple slow play is the most common, it should be easier to escape but I never seem to get away.

Many people have an expensive addiction to two suited cards. They get a little buzz taking the worst of it to draw at a flush. They seem to get this buzz whether they are drawing dead or not. Do you? When you flop a set and there are two flush cards out there, do not slow play. Part of their addiction has to do with you being on top pair. They have all these imaginary over cards and flush cards in their minds. You need to plan the betting in such a way as to get all the money in on the flop if they are flush drawing. One third of the time you will hit a full house and it won't matter if they hit that bad action flush or not.

If you flop a flush, do not slow play unless it is the nut flush and there is only one other player. If you flop a flush and bet into top pair with a higher flush draw, you will get action. So many people check raise that firing at the pot has some deceptive value. I semi slow play the nut flush draw, meaning I don't like to semi-bluff with it into a small pot. I will just call in a small pot and see if I hit and how the pot develops. Over and over, the nut flush gets paid off by a smaller flush for all their stacks. The goal of no limit or pot limit is to get all your money in the pot with as much percentage advantage as possible. With slow playing and deception, you can get in some situations where you are three to one favorite or four to one favorite or have the pure golden lovely nuts.

If you flop a straight, you might slow play by checking into one aggressive opponent but there is so very much that can go wrong. Say you had Q, 10 and it comes J, 9, 8. If you give a free card and you or the board pair, your hand goes way down in value. Here I like the small bet to see if I can get a straight draw or top pair to call.

When you slow play, you are showing false weakness. If there is one gambler raising most pots, trying hard to get even, and really moving their chips around, I will plan to slow play against them. If they are bluffing a lot, I will double slow play, meaning check them trips twice or top pair, big kicker twice but it is risky. Expert slow play requires a hawk eye analysis of the board and it's threat level.

In Texas, with so many macho players, slow playing the nuts is the proper thing to do. You check it and they fire at you whether they have a hand or not. Recently, I had K, 10 against a real gambling cowboy type who loved to push chips in the pot. He had absolutely no fear. The flop comes K,K,10. giving me the nuts. I checked. He bet $50 and I began to whimper and moan and cough and fart but I finally eked out a weak looking call. Off hops a deuce and I checked fast and called his $100 bet after a long brown study. A blank comes and I study awhile hoping he will decide his only win is to bluff again. I check it and he bets $300 into my nut hand.

If you have A,A and flop three Aces, watch out...the next card can give someone a straight. I'd slow play unless there were two cards above a nine or a flush draw. If you have K,K and flop three Kings to a K, 8, 2 rainbow board...this is a great slow play situation. You can afford to give a free card that will get them in trouble.

I mentioned earlier slow playing Big Slick.. A,K, in the three or four seat before the flop. If you flop top pair with top kicker, it is rare to slow play. If you are up against one other aggressive player, I will check this hand to them and then raise. If I flop top pair top kicker, I will put them on a hand and bet accordingly. If you have A,K and the flop comes A,7,2 I'd bet half the pot. I read that the major losing hand in Internet poker is Ace and a bad kicker. Bet it as if they have Ace and a bad kicker. If the flop has a flush draw or a high straight draw, I would bet the size of the pot. An value added feature of slow playing top pair, top kicker is that no over card can come that does not help you although it might make someone a straight.

If you attempt a slow play and it fails to go as planned, there should be red light signals of danger flashing in your head. Say you smooth called with A,A is the three seat and five other players called but no one raised. Be ready to get away from a scary flop or turn with a pair out there or a possible made straight. In a five way pot, people are less likely to bluff at a half a mile of people. If the pot gets so big a show horse couldn't jump over it, one pair looks a little peaked. When folks start with K,K and an Ace flops, they know to get away right there with some betting. If folks have two Aces, they often call off a whole lot of money when the board is shouting out ,"whoa, big feller." Often they call when all they can beat is a bluff and the Las Vegas rock going All In has not bluffed or needed to since Moby Dick was a sardine. Since the hands two Aces can beat, top pair and draws, will not keep on firing all the way through, that fifth street bet usually has two Aces beat. Let slow playing be your warning to watch out for traps.

Against an aggressive player, I might slow play with A,K and a board of A, 7, 2. If they bet into me, I might just call but it is risky. If it were a three way pot, I would bet. Save the fancy play for one opponent. There is a great deal of difference in the early part of a poker game and the wilder, looser, later part of a poker game. Often people slow play because they flop a big hand and freeze up hoping someone else will bet it for them. If you have a big hand in a multi-way pot and you think it is the best hand, bet at the pot. You protect the hand by thinning the field and you have a better chance that someone has a second best hand or will make a mistake.

What I see most commonly in downtown Las Vegas no limit cash games, is that a tight player will wait patiently for a big pair to play too slow and get busted with. Their patience is admirable and makes them easy to read. When the pot gets moving, they are betting little sums. The tourist with the shades and the complimentary cocktail is out front with a big ole beautiful colorful pair of pocket something's to tell them about back in Iowa. When the Las Vegas regular bets a whole lot of money on fourth or fifth street, all the tourist is left with is a clean place to shuffle and a boringly generic bad beat story. The progressive nature of the betting in no limit or pot limit escalates the risk for slow playing. The weaker players slow play in such a way as to gift out free cards and good drawing gambles. Then they stick around after their hand becomes the dog.

When slow playing, you have the psychological ploy going for you in that you show weakness and later strength. People who bet the size of the pot on fifth street often have the nuts or nothing. When you slow play or bluff, it looks the same. When you slow play, it may convince the opponent that they have a better chance to win the pot than they really do and lead to a big error. This plays into our psychological disposition to hope our hand is better than it often turns out to be. Slow playing big hands is intended to fool some of the people all of the time. It just keeps on working, over and over.

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