Jul 10
23
I’ve played in a lot of home games where it seems that check/raising is akin to kicking the host’s favorite pet. I’ve been called an a**hole more times than I care to count after I flop the nuts and check/call the flop and check/raise the turn.
People don’t understand that the magic of poker comes in deception, and hiding the strength of strong hands (the inverse also holds true). When you check/raise, you show a lot of strength. An indicator of “if you put more money into this pot, you’ll lose it” says a lot about an aggressive player.
However, in a lot of games where check/raising isn’t a dirty word, lots of people do it wrong. You shouldn’t, if ever, check/raise the flop. I’d say when you flop a set, on a board that doesn’t have a straight or flush draw, you check the flop, call a single bet, and then check/raise the turn. The only exception is in multiway pots where there’s a bet and a reraise on the flop. At this point, you should either raise to isolate or get out of the way (unless you hold top set!) — letting people draw against your made hand will lose you money in the long run. This is why even on the turn, check/raising isn’t always the best play. If the turn straightens up the board or puts a flush draw out there, you’re probably going to lose.
