As the name suggests, check raise strategy is a deceptive move. According to this, the player checks first to show a defensive hand. And, raise the bet at the very next hand of poker. It helps to understand the opponent’s reaction to it. Also, you will have time to think it through.
Necessities of Check Raising
As I said earlier, this technique is used to deceive the opponent. Though not everyone did that in the past. Now it’s a common practice. The main reasons behind using a check raise strategy are as follows.
- If you are paying aggressively, it will come in handy. There are two ways to win, once you raise. First, you have a stronger hand over other players. And another way is to raise to such an extent that the opponent folds.
- There are times when the opponent starts the game. But, by using a check raise strategy you can initiate the game. But, clearly, it does not work with pros.
- The opponent will not raise blindly. If you raise after the flop, then the other players will not go for a huge raise. As they will think that you are tricking them to put in more money.
- It also makes you unpredictable. Reading the opponent’s strategy is the best strategy in poker. And, once you use this one, others might not be able to evaluate your move.
- One of the most epic uses of the check raise strategy is to make other players go for an all-in.
Requirements for a check-raise
A check raise strategy works best when the following factors are present.
- If you are in a position, then this technique definitely will not work at all. Because let’s say you are in position. You check at your turn. Now, after you said check, here comes another card on the table. Hence, there is no more betting.
- For aggressive opponents, it works best. They tend to fall into this quite easily. Due to their aggressive nature, they fool themselves by thinking that they are tricking you.
- A balance between your strategy is a must. Let’s say, you have a strong hand. Therefore, you use this trick. But, when it comes to weaker hands, you do not go for it at all. This will make you predictable. Therefore you must think of and use it as a consistent strategy.
Get the best out of it
Now, let’s discuss the core part of this strategy. Let me explain how to get higher value out of a check raise strategy. First, we need to evaluate the board texture precisely.
For instance, there is a dry board. There you can flop two pairs. This is a strong hand on such a table. And, the opponent will get tricked. On the other hand, this will not work at all on a monotone table texture.
Also, do not get complex with the strategy. It will raise nothing but doubt. Now coming to the main point. Assume that you are check-raising for a flop. You must back out then. Instead, keep doing it for the river too. This will get you a larger pot.
Some useful tips
Below are some tips to keep in mind while using a check raise strategy.
- Avoid bluffing if your opponent has the nature of calling it early.
- Now, if you got a player who calls every time. It doesn’t matter to him or her what the raising amount is. Then just check-raise as high as you can with a strong hand.
- Another possible kind of opponent is one who folds easily. Here you can use check-raise bluff.
- Try lowering the check raise when the opponent is betting large. As it might lead to losing it all.
- On the other hand, if the other player is betting it is small. You can increase the frequency of the check raise strategies.
- You can also bluff check-raise more to trick the opponent. And, when you have a strong hand, just make it huge. It will keep your strategy balanced too.
Conclusion
From the above information, we can easily conclude that the check raise strategy is really useful. It will assist you to gain experience. And, you can even earn more. Also, most importantly, you can learn a lot about your opponents too.
Hope you find it useful. I will be back soon with a lot more of such strategies which will help you to win. Till then, have fun. Good Luck!
