Sluggish play is actually a term used in poker – particularly Texas Holdem – for attempting to lure your opponents into making a big bet so which you can trap them and take down a big pot.
It truly is usually used having a extremely good pre-flop hands such as pocket Aces on Kings. In place of wagering major, the sluggish gambler will sit back and limp in (call or check) as if he doesn’t have a palm worth betting, hoping that an opponent will have caught a lower pair or a straight draw and will come in with an enormous wager.
It can be a classic poker manouever and one which has won a lot of money for poker players down via the ages, but it has lost it’s effectiveness. The easy reason for this is that everybody is now slow betting their large hands so it’s almost expected.
So how do you use this circumstance to your advantage?
When you catch a big palm, you need to come out wagering. Rather than trying to tempt your competitors into generating a move so that you simply can are available in over the top, produce the wager yourself. Now most amateur gamblers baulk at the thought of this in case the rest of the table folds and they "waste" their large hand, but in reality you’ll typically constantly obtain some wagering action from somebody.
By betting your huge palm in place of sluggish wagering it, you’re performing a double bluff since most folks would slow wager on it. Your competitors will typically assume you might be bluffing and you are going to obtain a number of wagering action and ultimately win more money.
The other reason you ought to bet is that in case you don’t wager, that you are allowing your opponents a absolutely free look at the cards and every single time a card is turned over they might be converting a losing hands to a winning one.
There is only one situation where it will often pay to sluggish play your hands – when you flop an absolute monster that nearly can’t be beaten. For instance say you might be dealt Ace, 4 of clubs and the flop is Queen, Ten, 9 of clubs. You have just flopped the nut flush and you’re pretty much unbeatable. OK any individual could have a pair of Queens, Tens or Nines and catch a fourth on the turn or river, or they might be holding the King of clubs and catch the Jack for a straight flush, but the odds of you not succeeding are now remote.
This is the time to slow wager on your hand. There are all sorts of hands that someone else could possibly be holding to generate them consider they’re in a very good position here; two other clubs, a straight draw, triples or even just a Queen for the top pair, whatever they have got the chances are any individual will consider it’s worth betting. If the flop or river produces a King, Queen Jack, Ten or 9 you could possibly acquire a big raise and even an all-in from somebody.
Now you let them construct the pot up by just calling the bets and take down the pot with your nut flush.