by Al Sousa (site owner)
Check raising is the act of checking your hand with the hope someone
else bets and then you can raise the table making everyone pay a
double bet.
When should you check raise?
When you want to build a pot for your hand: If you have a very strong hand and you know a player behind you is going to bet, you can check raise. This builds the pot for your good hand. Also if you have a real good draw you can check raise the table to build the pot if you hit. For example if you have the nut flush and are 1st to act you can check with the intent of raising later if you have 2 or more callers in the pot. Why? You nut flush hits 35% of the time. Check raising the table adds value to your draw if you hit. Lets say you check raise 5 callers. Now you are getting 5:1 on your money for a 1:3 chance to win with the nuts.
When you want to isolate: Once again if you know a late position player is going to bet and you want to make the draws pay improper odds to draw out on you this play can be done.
EXAMPLE: You called in UTG with 9 9 , 2 others called, and an aggressive late position player raises. The flop gifts you a set of 9s but there are 2 draws.
FLOP: 9 83
If you are pretty certain the preflop raiser is going to bet the flop check to him. Let him bet then when it comes to you raise. This will make any players with draws between the two of you pay 2 small bets for their draw.
You can also use this tactic when you are behind. Lets say you have a A3 in the big blind in an unraised pot with 4 other callers. The flop comes an ace but you are not sure your kicker is good so you check. The other players check and then the button bets. You should raise your ace. The button might be betting middle pair or he might have a better ace. But by raising the better you will probably eliminate other players in the hand and get the pot heads up. Lets say with all the other callers you had a 13% chance to win the pot. By check raising and isolating the bettor making everyone else fold you have just increased your chance to win to 20% even though you might be behind. Although it might not seem much it it almost double the chance to win.
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