When Not to Slow Play

  Usually people slow down when they want to make sure they don't miss anything - when they are concerned about accuracy (say, diffusing a bomb) or enjoying the moment (a slow dance.) In poker, a player slows down for one of two reasons - they want to reduce the amount of chips they are losing, or they want to sucker an opponent into betting thinking their opponent's hand is worse than theirs. While the latter sounds like a super situation to be in (like the slow dance,) it can also blow up in your face if you do it wrong (like diffusing the bomb.)  A classic example of slow play would be a player starting with pocket aces just limping in or checking from the big blind. The flop comes 9,2,K, and you are hoping your opponent hit a king. You check, and he bets - score! The turn comes Ten, and you keep up the slow dance with a check - and he bets. The river comes Ace - you have a set, you rule. But you don't want to scare him off, so you check again - he moves all in, what a good thing for you. You call, and then he turns over his Q, J. A straight - it's time to clean up the mess and contact your next of kin.  When slow playing, pay attention to changes in the cards that could turn your monster hand into a mouse, and adjust your play accordingly. True, you might slow down the slow play and only get a quarter of your opponent's chip stack instead of all of it - but on the other hand, you might also prevent your own death in the game if you guessed wrong when you cut the red wire.