Simply put, slow playing a hand in Texas Hold'em
means betting and calling conservatively so that
maximum amount of money can get elicited from
a maximum number of players. The strategy is capable
of yielding rich dividends but is fraught with myriad
risks. You should not attempt this strategy unless you
are sure that you are holding an unbeatable hand. You
have to be aware of the fact that it is relatively easy for
an opponent to catch the cards needed to make his
hand. So it has to be your constant endeavor to make
sure that the necessary cards don't show up on the
board.
Once you are confident that you are holding the set of
cards that are unbeatable, you should bet an amount
that your opponents will call, in other words, play your
hand in such a way as to extract the maximum amount
of money. This is best achieved by representing a weak
hand, so that your opponent will attempt to bet you out
of your hand. Betting the minimum amount usually
succeeds in demonstrating weakness. Another way of
befuddling opponents could be to check and then call
after a while, thereby sending out the feeling that you
are contemplating whether to continue or to chase.
But you have to be on your guard constantly or your
strategy may backfire to the extent of letting your opponent
transform his starting hand into the winning hand.
In order to be most effective in slow playing it should be
done with caution and only when a variety of variables
are in place. If used appropriately the strategy can be amost profitable and effective tactic. Use it sparingly and
use it well. Here are a couple of poker scenarios to illustrate
the cases where it is advisable to play slow poker.
Scenario I: A good instance for you to apply the tactics
of slow play is when your starting hand is a pocket pair
of aces and the flop is ace, nine, nine. But you have to
realize that if another player was dealt with a starting
hand of pocket nines then he would have you beat, but
short of that you have the highest hand strength at this
point. Also the probability of someone having a stronger
hand even after the turn and river is almost non-existent.
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