CHECKING AND CALLING

There is a common misconception in poker that checking and calling is wrong. Checking and calling may be wrong, or it may be perfectly correct. Selective aggression is usually what makes money in poker.

A problem arises when too many people are seeing the flop or going to the river. Calling to thin out the table won’t work if everyone is going to call. Betting to build the pot is a different story. Feel free to bet to build the when you know you are drawing or have the best hand. You don’t have to worry about losing because in games like this players are looking for a reason to play, rather than not play.

Question: I have a bad habit of checking and calling. I know it’s a weakness but so help me, as I am confused. Is it that wrong?

Opinion 1

If you are playing in a typical low limit hold’em game, a game where five or more people see the flop, four see the turn, and three go to the river. If the whole hand is played for two bets before the flop, then one on each street, there are at least 22 small bets in the pot when you check and another player bets on the river. Checking and calling with a medium hand such as top pair with a bad kicker, or second pair, is probably correct when there is no four flush or four straight already on board. In these cases, it helps to know your opponents.

Opinion 2

You are playing against an overly aggressive player. They usually come into the game after a bigger game breaks and they are waiting around for a higher limit game to reopen. Many of these players are egomaniacs, and believe they are such superior players that they will attempt to run over the game at every opportunity. Sit back relax, and by all means let them bet. Check the nuts to them. Check everything to them, except perhaps on the river, depending on the likelihood of them calling or raising you. They will bet, and you will win more money.

My opinion

We have all had days where we couldn’t do anything right. Then to top it off we get into a game that is a soft, loose game. We now find ourselves sitting there watching everyone else get good cards, and drag big pots. We are getting rag after rag, and then suddenly we get a great hand, and bet aggressively. You know the story, there are five or six people going to the river and along the way at least one of them get their miracle card and the roof caves in on your hand. This happens to us a few more times, and we start to say to ourselves, “I don’t freaken believe this.”

I think that this is shy we associate checking and calling with weakness due to the fact that we remember the times that we had bad runs of cards, and we had to back off playing aggressively. We changed our style of play because we were getting killed, and it seemed like the correct thing to do, but we hated doing it.

Actually it may be the correct thing to do when you are losing. I don’t mean to say that you should change you game to the point where you fear betting your good hands. When that point is reached you should be getting up and leaving, I mean betting hand for value and trying to push everyone around. Checking and calling is not a weak play, contrary to popular belief.

Checking and calling is one of the most natural things in the world of limit poker. Checking and calling is standard, sanctioned, profitable strategy. When the pot is pot is large and your hand is not, a check is usually in order. I you’re subsequently bet into, a call is often in order.

GOOD LUCK