Effectively Using Check Raise to Maximize Profits in Poker

Although check raise is an intricate part of casino poker, and though it isn’t difficult, it can be something which would leave many players confused about how to use it.

Understanding check raise

Check raise is basically a move where you check the action of the player preceding you and raise the bet of the player. To state an example, if your opponent puts a bet of $20 and then it’s your turn to act, you put a bet of a total of $35. This is known as a check raise.

Effectiveness of check raise

A check raise move shows that you have a good hand and it’s a good way to trap the opponents bet in the pot. When you just check you make your opponent think that you have a weak hand so he/she would put a bet on it. But then when you check raise with a strong bet it would confuse and intimidate your opponent since he would have no choice but to put to check in order to see the next card, or they would fold altogether.

Check raising successfully

Using a check raise successfully would mean putting the right size of raise and check raising in the correct situation.

1] Put in a good amount of raise when you check raise and be bold. Making a big raise would ensure that your opponent would get intimidated and he would have to take a strong decision right at that moment. If you place a small bet he would simply call on it and then the essence of the move would be lost. It’s a good idea to make at least three times more raise on the bet placed by your opponent.

2] The best time for a check raise is to do it in situations where you want to win the pot before all the community cards are revealed and the hands are developed. You can do it if you are trying to bluff or if you have a weak hand and you do not want to give the chance to your opponents to go ahead and play the further betting rounds. If you have a very strong hand there is no need to check raise since it would only make your opponents fold and you wouldn’t be able to win a big pot.

When you have a strong hand your intention should be to accumulate a large pot and check raising would not help you do that. So in those situations you must avoid using check raise. Also, you need to think twice about the situation before you use the check raise. If you are playing against an opponent who is passive or if you think that they are not going to back off even after you check raise you should not try your luck with a check raise, instead just fold.

Overview

Check raising can be very effective and quite deceptive too and the ones you use it against would definitely not like you for it. Try not to use it too often since your opponents would fail to responds to your move if you use it very often. If you do not do it at the right moment or against the right kinds of opponents it can prove to be a costly strategy. So you must use it only sparingly, choose the right situation, choose the correct amount of raise to be placed and also be prepared to loose out on some money in case it doesn’t work. In most cases, when you practice often you would get it right. The more situations you come across and the more you fail, the more you would learn in the process. You can learn more at poker game sites or online casino guides.

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