The Winning Check-Raise Strategy
Feb 24, 2012 Play Poker Game Poker Strategies
Check raise is arguably one of the strongest and most effective moves one can make in a game of poker. Even though it has been banned by a number of card rooms who consider it as a dishonest strategy, clearly check-raise is a weapon of the winners.
Check raise is a strategy that is used primarily for two motives. The first motive to check raise is to build a pot with a hand that has a lot of strength. One cannot make a raise from an early position. If a player has a very strong hand then one should check first and if someone bets then go for a raise.
The second motive to check raise is to drive the other players out of the game. When a player goes to check-raising he has to be sure that any one among the opponents will go for a bet. If there is a preflop raiser in the game then the player will definitely bet on the flop as well.
In which place the bettor is sitting is also important when you are talking about check raise. If the bettor sits right next to you then the pot money automatically increases. This is so because the other opponents have to call for one single bet twice and cannot fold. But the prerequisite is that the bettor does not go for a re-raise. If you want to get the other players out of the game then the bettor has to sit in the last position and make his bets just before you so that you get the raise right after him. In such a situation the opponents have to pay for two bets simultaneously and will have to go for a fold.
Check raise strategy can eliminate the chances of a draw both on the flop and the turn. If a player’s motive is to build up a good amount of money in the pot, it is advisable to wait till the turn until the bets get doubled. Also waiting for the river would be not recommended because it can give the player no special benefit of check raise. Further draws are always paid on the turn but they are never paid on the river if check raise fails.
Check raise is a great weapon in the hands that are kept well hidden like the small sets. This is so because when someone bets the cards that make a pair with the highest card on the table have to be out.
Check raise as a bluff or partial bluff is always an option available to the players but there has to be a very strong hand to back it up. Before the raise if the pot odds needs to call a single bet then the raise is allowed to be called. Because the pot is growing in size it will allow calling more and more bets in the subsequent rounds. This becomes quite an expensive affair. In such a situation average hands should go for a fold. A check raise helps you save a lot of your money.
