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The Check-Raise
December 19th, 2007 - The Check-Raise
Long before the poker boom introduced No Limit Hold’em to the world the game of choice was Fixed Limit Hold’em. With a fixed bet each round there wasn’t a lot of room for creative plays, but one move that did show a bit of flair was the check-raise.
Back then it got an evil stare from the old timers in the game; it was seen as a perfectly legal move that was completely unethical. But times have changed and so has the game. In No Limit Hold’em check-raising at the right time is going to win you a lot of chips and earn you some respect from the rest of the table.
What is a check raise? Simply put it’s when you check on the flop, turn or river with the assumption that your opponent will make a bet. Once he’s done that you raise the bet. It works in a couple of different ways.
If you’re holding the best hand, maybe a set or a hidden straight, it allows you to maximize your profit by letting your opponent put chips at risk without a winning hand. If you can show the patience to check your set and he bets, you get the chance to raise to either win the hand right away or get him to commit even more money to the pot with no reasonable expectation of winning.
Or, if you’re holding a marginal hand, maybe a small pair or two face cards, it gives you an opportunity to force your opponent to lay down a better hand knowing he simply can’t call a massive raise. If you’re using this tactic you have to have a good understanding of what your opponent is holding and whether or not he’ll call a raise. If there’s a good chance he’ll fold to a raise, showing strength with a check raise is an excellent way to make yourself some money.
There is some danger in check-raising though. Remember that you’re opponent may not read your check raise as a sign of strength but rather that you’re trying to steal the pot. If he calls you could be in trouble. Also, like any great weapon in your poker arsenal it needs to be used sparingly. Check raising too often will mean you’ll get called more often and that limits the effectiveness of the play.
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