Of the many tactics that are a part of being successful when you play  poker games  online, one of the trickiest can be slow playing. A slow play is the opposite of a bluff. Rather than betting with nothing, indicating strength when you are weak, you check and call with a very strong hand, trying to indicate weakness where there is actually strength. When should you and shouldn't you slow play?

Slow Play When You Have a Monster

If you've watched amateurs play poker on television, or if you  play poker  online at low stakes, you may have seen a situation where the amateur limps in or makes a small bet with a hand like 88 or TJ, and when the flop comes 8 8 3 or Q K A rainbow, they immediately move all in. This play, which is generally motivated by greed, is completely disastrous, far worse than making an inopportune bluff or a loose call. When you have a hand that is almost sure to win, you must give your opponents a chance to catch up. When you make a large bet, you all but assure yourself of winning the minimum with a great hand, and great hands don't come around that often. Even in the rare instance your opponent has a hand strong enough to call you, you would have gotten their chips just as easily by checking or making a small bet and letting them come over the top. If you are nearly impossible to beat, you must slow play. Similarly in seven card stud, if you have something like four aces on your first four cards, you should check. Of course your opponents will know you have them beat, but the more free cards you give them, the greater the chance that one of them will make a flush or full house and have to call bets on later streets.

Do not Slow Play When Your Hand Is Vulnerable

If you have 8 7 and the flop comes A 8 7, or 9 T J with two hearts, this is not a time to slow play. In the first example, a running pair, an ace, or a card that matches your opponent's kicker if he has an ace, will ruin your hand. In the second case, even though you have flopped a straight, an 8, a queen a king or any heart will kill you. You need to play these hands aggressively and make your opponents pay to draw against you. This is shows the importance of  poker odds  in Texas Hold'em and other online poker games.

Some players think that a huge all in overbet when they have a monster will be perceived as a bluff and get called. While your opponents may suspect you of a bluff in this situation, it will still be very difficult for them to call you without a huge hand or a huge chip stack. You are much more likely to get the money with a slow play. Remember though, that a strong hand can still be vulnerable, and if yours is, the slow play is often not the best option.

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