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• What Is Fold In Poker
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Poker is a funny game with seemingly contradictory ideas found in abundance. On one hand lying, needling, and even overtly trash talking other players is an everyday part of gameplay. On the other hand, there are lines that are taboo and should never be crossed. One of them is slow rolling. In fact, if you slow roll someone, even accidentally you are likely to become, at best, ostracised at your table and, at worst, may even start a fistfight.

So what is a slow roll? A slow roll occurs at showdown when a player with an extremely strong hand, often the nuts, faces river bet and then delays calling or turning over his cards. This is usually done to give an opponent false hope that he holds the winning hand. Slow rolling is a serious breach of poker etiquette.

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Here are three specific examples of ways that a player can slow roll an opponent while holding a strong hand:

1. Pausing on the river after facing a big bet or all-in
2. Calling quickly but then taking a long time to turn over the winning cards
3. Pretending to be disappointed or admitting defeat at any point after the bet or all-in before turning over the winning hand

Why Slow Rolling Is Frowned Upon

Slow rolling is frowned upon because it plays a trick on a person at the exact moment that he or she is losing a lot of money or chips at the poker table. It adds unnecessary duress onto what may already be an emotional time for a player. Basically, when you delay showing a strong hand you give your opponent a false sense of hope that the pot will be going his way. At the poker table, nothing is crueler. Here are a few ways that a slow roll might go down.

The slow roller may:

• Feign disappointment and even sigh before delaying and turning over the winning hand
• Say things to make their opponent think they may have won
• Go “into the tank” and take several minutes before calling
• Hold their cards out over the muck as if to throw them away before quickly turning them over

Is Slow Rolling Illegal?

There is usually no explicit rule that states that taking a long time to call or turn over your cards with a strong hand is illegal. Even so, slow rolling in the wrong poker room might get you banned or worse. I have heard stories of assaults taking place in parking lots outside of casinos due to someone being slow rolled.

I’d tell you to check the local rules before deciding to slow roll but I feel that’s bad advice. You should be focusing on how to beat your opponents, not make them hate you for life. Slow rolling someone is an unforgivable act to most poker players.

What to Do If You Are Slow Rolled

If you find yourself on the wrong end of a slow roll then it is usually best to take the high road. It is likely that someone is slow rolling you to try and get under your skin and get you off your game. Therefore, the best policy is typically to just say “nice hand” and move on.

Even so, make sure you take note of it the next time you are on the river with a really strong hand and face an all-in from this player. You know what they say about paybacks.

What To Do If You Witness Someone Else Get Slow Rolled

If you see another player fall victim to a slow roll, it’s actually best to not react or say anything. For all you know, those two players have a history and it’s a tradition to slow roll each other. In fact, it’s best to think of ways to use the situation to your advantage over the next few hands and keep in mind that the slow rolled person may be steaming.

I know this sounds cruel but emotional control is an important part of poker. Trust me, no one is going to soft play you and you should never do the same. There is no room for nice guys when it comes to forming optimal strategies. Take my advice and be a nice guy outside the gameplay and a ruthless villain with your poker actions.

Can Slow Rolling Happen Before the River?

There is nothing wrong with taking a long time or “Hollywooding” with a strong hand at any point except the river. In fact, it is part of the game for a player to feign weakness in order to keep his or her opponent involved in the hand. If taking a long time to act accomplishes this, it’s not bad etiquette but rather good poker.

What Is the Difference Between Slow Rolling and Slow Playing?

Slow playing actually has nothing to do with how long you take to act and can occur on any street, even the river. Basically, when you slow play you take a passive action with a really strong hand such as checking or calling. The opposite is to fast play, which means you bet or raise a really strong hand,

Examples of Slow Rolling

Giving the play by play of a slow roll could never do justice to actually witnessing one for yourself.

I actually once was accused of slow rolling before I even knew what slow rolling was. While playing a pub poker game I was faced an all-in bet on the turn while holding a flush. I made the mistake of counting out the chips to call before turning over my cards. My opponent immediately accused me of slow rolling and I told him I had no idea what that was. It was explained to me and I apologized.

Here is a video showing various players slow rolling their opponents:

Slow Roll Poker Etiquette

In order to avoid slow rolling someone, it’s best to get in the habit of just flipping your cards up instantly whenever you make a call. Even with a hand that is less than the nuts, you may be perceived as slow-rolling if the other person has a slightly worse hand. By insta-turning your hands up, you also gain a few secondary benefits:

1. It speeds up the game
2. There is no chance you will accidentally fold the best hand
3. You will also confidently show down the marginal hands you are calling with, which may dissuade future opponents from bluffing you

Is It Ever Okay to Slow Roll?

On a rare occasion, it may actually be okay to slow roll someone. Even so, until you gain a feel for reading table dynamics I would avoid slow rolling altogether. Here are a few instances where it’s okay to consider a slow roll:

• Someone has recently slow-rolled someone at the table and you hold a strong hand on the river versus the slow-roller
• You are playing with a group of friends and it’s a tradition to slow roll the nuts
• Another player has been obnoxious and abusive to other players (Make sure you are ready for an altercation if you slow roll the jerk)
• You have the image as a newbie and decide to slow roll to perpetuate that image (don’t overdo it and make sure you pretend to genuinely think you misread your hand)
• It’s the final table bubble in a tournament and another all-in is occurring on an adjacent table

Online Slow Rolling

This is a common question that people ask: Can you slow roll online? The answer is yes!

Similarly to live play, if you face a bet on the river while holding the nuts or near nuts it is considered a slow roll if you take more than a couple of seconds. In fact, since most people are not really paying attention to the action due to the prevalence of multi-tabling, slow rolling is not likely to elicit the same condemning reaction that you would be subject to live. Even so, there’s really no reason to slow roll anyone for more than a few seconds. The only exception would be if you are calling a friend or family member into the room to show off your super-strong hand.

Online slow rolls are generally more forgivable. This is because the majority of slow rolls are actually not intentional. Instead, they are often due to internet lag, multi-tabling, or some kind of external distraction. In fact, people will seldom notice or even comment when an actual slow roll occurs.

Summary

While slow rolling may seem like a funny thing to do to a person while you are holding the nuts, it’s best to follow the golden rule. Losing a big pot on the river after believing you might have the best hand is a horrible feeling no matter what the stakes are. Just because you are trying to beat your opponents doesn’t mean you have to disrespect them in the process.

Table Of Contents

Are you struggling to turn a decent profit at the poker tables on a consistent basis? Are your results best described as 'somewhere around break-even'?

First off, don't worry because you are not alone. This describes the results of the majority of poker players.

Often, however, it is just a few small poker strategy adjustments that can take your game from mediocre to amazing — from break-even to crushing it.

In this article, I am going to provide you with seven subtle but highly effective poker tips to take your game to the next level.

What Is Fold In Poker Card Game

While I can't promise you'll win a lot of money with these beginner tips, you should add everything you find on this guide to your poker strategy if you really want to improve your poker games.

Continue reading to discover poker tips like:

I've also added something about pocket aces because you should be always careful when you get them. I have seen so many people play them the wrong way...

1. Think About Ranges, Not Hands

It doesn't matter what type of casino poker you play: one of the easiest ways to spot average and beginner poker players is to look at how they think about what their opponent has.

• Beginner poker players try and put somebody on a specific poker hand.
• Advanced poker players think in terms of ranges. This type of thinking that can be extremely important when calculating pot odds.

A range is the entire spectrum of poker hands somebody can have in a specific situation. For example, player X can have a flush, top pair, middle pair, bottom pair, a draw, ace-high or a complete air-ball bluff.

Good players who have already gone through a few poker strategy articles understand that player X will show up with this entire range of hands with various frequencies. They don't focus on identifying a single winning hand, but they try and figure out those frequencies and then make the best play.

Average players try to put an opponent on exactly (or some other specific hand) because that's 'what their gut tells them.'

If there's one thing you need to know when you learn the game, this is that poker strategy tips and 'gut feeling' don't go well together. Basing your tournament strategy or cash game play on what you 'feel' is never a good idea.

In the first video of this beginner's guide to poker tips for beginners, poker pro Jason Wheeler explains how uses every possible information available to understand his opponent's cards and choose his play.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Be Realistic

Don't put your opponent on a single hand but think about ranges. Nobody has a specific hand in poker — they only have a range.

If you are in still the process of learning the game and you need some help, have a look at the complete poker hands ranking.

2. Ditch Your Favorite Hand

A lot of people have a favourite hand. I know that every time I get dealt the old -suited my eyes light up and I want to play it so bad!

However, in reality, I know that -suited is a mediocre hand. Definitely not one of the best starting hands you can hey in a game of Texas hold em.

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It makes sense to play it in some spots — late position, for instance, in an unopened pot. But it should almost always be folded in early position.

If you currently have some favourite starting hands, that's fine — most people do. But don't give them preferential treatment and make bad plays with it.

Winning poker is about math and cold hard logic, not superstition.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Be Smart

Playing too many hands is a widespread mistake (see: Five Common Mistakes New Poker Players Make).

One of the best ways to avoid it is to introduce range-based thinking in your reads.

3. Adopt a Consistent Strategy

Another big key to becoming a great poker player (and perhaps one of the most important poker tips on this strategy guide) is to consistently apply a winning strategy.

It is not okay suddenly to change things up (e.g. to open with -suited from early position or turn yourself into a calling station) just because you are bored or tilted.

All of your learning, experience and study over the years has given you a body of knowledge telling you how to play Texas Hold 'Em.

But your poker strategy only actually matters if you apply it at the poker tables all the time. Every hand counts and every session counts.

The best poker players, those ones who know how to win at poker, apply the same winning strategy over and over again, no matter how they feel or what their recent results have been.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Be Consistent

Poker is a long-term game. You need time to build your bankroll and find the right cash game or poker tournament strategy that works for you.

You should not change your strategy after a big win or a big loss (here's why).

If you really feel like your approach needs to change, make sure you read this article on Handling the Ups and Downs of Low Stakes Poker first.

4. Always Have a Reason

Big-time winning poker players will sometimes break from their standard, successful strategies, but always for obvious reasons.

An average player might start raising -suited in early position because he is bored or wants to make something happen.

An elite poker player will raise with this hand in this position on occasion because he notices the table is playing passively and there are a couple of recreational players in the blinds.

There is a clear reason then to believe that raising -suited in early position (typically a fold under normal circumstances) might be a profitable play in this situation.

If you can produce a well-reasoned argument why deviating from your regular strategy might be more profitable, then it is okay. It is the 'because I feel like it' or 'I am bored' reasoning that has to go.

What Is Fold In Poker Room

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Be Reasonable

Think. Use your experience to analyse the situations, and then understand 'why' you would take one road and not another.

If you don't have enough experience to evaluate different situations yet, you better go back to the free games and grind.

5. Know When to Fold Your Aces

Another clear difference between average poker players and great poker players is the ability to fold an overpair.

Do you know that little sick feeling you get when you have and a tight opponent raises all-in on the turn? You make the so-called 'crying call', and he turns over the set yet again.

Playing online poker for free is the best way to hone your poker skills and practice with no risk.

You need to start paying attention to that feeling a little bit more often.

Certain patterns are easily recognizable at the lower stakes — especially when you play online poker — where it is 100 per cent the correct play to fold your overpair.

Good players can let go of any emotional attachment to their pretty-looking hands. Average players get married to their aces or kings instead, and can't let them go even when they know they are beat.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Aces Lose Too

Starting with the best of all poker hands isn't enough to guarantee you a winning hand.

Ask anyone for good poker pro tip, and they will all tell you the same thing: sometimes, you'll need to fold those Aces.

For more info on this specific topic, have a look at this article on How to Play Pocket Aces.

6. Realize Tilt Only Hurts You

Tilt is a destroyer of bankrolls, dreams, and poker careers.

I can't tell you how often I receive emails or comments from people who describe to me how they've tilted vast amounts of their bankroll away when things went badly at the poker tables.

The reality of poker is that sometimes things will go badly for you, and there is absolutely nothing that you can do about it.

This is what you sign up for every time you sit down to play card games.

There's always the possibility you might run terribly. You might run lights out as well, though.

When you allow yourself to lose control of your emotions and throw your strategy out the window, the only person you are hurting is yourself.

All those hours you've spent trying to learn and improve your game were basically wasted because you decided to choose your emotions over reason when it mattered.

Respect the work that you have done. You owe it to yourself to maintain more composure and stop throwing away money when the cards go south.

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Relax

The psychological side of poker can be overwhelming, and you need to be ready to deal with it.

Swings happen and bad beats will come. If you don't know how do deal with this, have a look at the poker tips Italy's poker pro Rocco Palumbo shared with PokerNews at the PokerStars Championship in Prague.

If these poker tips work for Palumbo, they may as well work for you!

7. Don't Play Bad Games

One more way beginner poker players can sabotage their poker results is by stubbornly playing in games that are full of decent-to-good regulars.

If you can't find somebody at the table who is playing very poorly, then you have to ask yourself why it is that you are even there.

What Is Fast Fold Poker

If you only play poker for the mental challenge or recreation or pleasure, then this is fine. This poker tip doesn't necessarily apply to you.

Use this guide to set up your next home game online and play online poker with your friends for free or real money.

But if winning real money or chips is at all a priority for you, then you need to remember you don't turn a significant profit in poker by pushing tiny edges against good poker players.

You win big by playing against players who are making significant fundamental errors and giving away their money over the long term.

What Is Check Fold In Poker

As the classic movie Rounders reminds us, 'If you can't spot the sucker in your first half-hour at the table, then you are the sucker.'

Poker Tip Key Takeaway: Choose the Right Games

Don't sit with the pros if you can't beat them. Selecting the right games is key to your successes in poker — one wrong move, and you are out.

What Is Fold In Poker

Again, there's no shame in playing free poker games or in looking for the best freeroll poker tournaments to play online if that's what you need.

What Hands To Fold In Poker

Final Thoughts

The divide between break-even beginner players and big-time winners is not as wide as many people think.

It is often just a few simple little adjustments you can learn over time that can carry you over to enable you to start winning at a higher clip.

A lot of it has to do with starting to view the game in a much more cold, detached, mathematical, and logical way than you presently do.

Emotional and/or superstitious poker players almost always lose or struggle to remain even.

Elite poker players, meanwhile, know they are in it for the long haul and don't get overly wrapped up in each hand or moment. They continue to make the most profitable play again and again, no matter what.

Playing online poker for free is the best way to hone your poker skills and practice with no risk.

Nathan 'BlackRain79' Williams is the author of the popular micro stakes strategy books Crushing the Microstakes and Modern Small Stakes. He also blogs regularly about all things related to the micros over at www.blackrain79.com.

_{This article was originally published on Feb. 13, 2017. Last update: Oct. 12, 2020.}

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