Slow playing in cash games

ntlbell

I'm just curious about this, I don't play alot of cash games but I overheard a big row recently between two guys over slow playing monsters in a cash game, is there some unwritten rule I've never heard about regarding slow playing in cash games?

The pot in this case was over 2k

Hectorjelly

They cant of been slowplaying it to much if the pot ended up over 2k. I think you mean slow rolling, which is taking time to show down the certain winner to cause your opponent discomfort.

NickyOD

slowplaying is -EV

ntlbell

i think the reason the pot was so big was a big raise preflop with callers, these guys were not messing around, 2k seemed pretty average pot

the guy been accused had flopped the nuts and kept checking, then it was a big raise from the original raiser called by the slow play on 5th st

sorry i don't have more clear information, the hand is irelevant really, i'm just trying to see if slow playing cash games is frowned upon i can't see why but alot of people were very pee'd off about it

Ste05

NickyOD wrote:

slowplaying is -EV

Don't think this is always strictly correct, like if you flop an absolute monster like quads or a boat, slowplaying is normally the only way to make more money on the hand.

Your hand can be so strong that you suffocate the board and you need to let someone catch up so they can either take a stab at buying the pot, or catch a card to give them something to play with.

Although this does sound like slow rolling to me too, don't see how you can have a fight about slow playing, except with some sore loser who over committed on a marginal hand....

Ste05

ntlbell wrote:

i'm just trying to see if slow playing cash games is frowned upon i can't see why but alot of people were very pee'd off about it

Certainly not as far as I know, you can play your hand however you want, if you want to give people chances to outdraw you, go ahead, it's not a good idea to slow play (unless you have an absolute monster as outlined in my previous post), I'd certainly never really slow play something like a flopped nut straight....

Hectorjelly

Ste05 wrote:

Don't think this is always strictly correct, like if you flop an absolute monster like quads or a boat, slowplaying is normally the only way to make more money on the hand.

Your hand can be so strong that you suffocate the board and you need to let someone catch up so they can either take a stab at buying the pot, or catch a card to give them something to play with.

if when you hold a monster you are concerned with getting "something" for your quads or whatever then slow play it. If you want to maximise your expectation then you should play all of your monsters fast. At low/medium stakes the two biggest mistakes people make are playing too loose and slowplaying their strong hands. I think the second is almost as costly as the first. It simply makes no sense to wait to the river to start raising for many reasons.

There are times to slowplay but they are so far and few between that you would only be making a small mistake by never slowplaying, shortstacked tournament situations notwithstanding.

Ste05

I agree with everything you say there HJ, and the times you flop quads or top boat, are the few and far between situations I was talking about, And I certainly wouldn't wait til the river to bet, you want to build the pot at least so you can win a decent sized pot with your monster.

To me slowplaying in a situation like this would be to give one free card, well really to just give one check if there's no action before me.....

bohsman

I know check raising isnt/wasnt allowed in some places, theres signs up in US casinos saying "check raising allowed"

Only time I would slow play is to check raise where Im fairly sure there will be a bet behind or even check call the flop and check raise the turn

The Troll

Peopel can play their cards whatever way they want. If they feel like slow betting thats their choice. Its always an option. To say that its frowned upon is imply not true. Its just another strategy that some people employ. I think slow playing does have its uses. For example, slow playing flopped trips when heads up against an aggressive player can often lead him to an all-in bet by fourth street an dyou take the pot down.

I think there are lots of situations where slow playing is a useful tactic.

NickyOD

The only time I would ever slowplay is in a heads up pot where its obvious I will just take the pot down by betting the flop. In multiway pot its always more profitable to lead into the pot with a monster.

The Troll

NickyOD wrote:

The only time I would ever slowplay is in a heads up pot where its obvious I will just take the pot down by betting the flop.

Exactly. You wanna earn some chips for your big hand and alot of times in heads up, a bet on the flop will take the pot.