1. Poker Rules Check Call Raise Credit
2. Poker Rules Check Call Raise Limit
3. Poker Rules Check Call Raise Money
4. Poker Rules Check Call Raise Minimum

The 'check raise' is one of the strongest and arguably the most effective moves in Texas Hold'em poker. Regarded by some as a dishonest move and even banned in certain card rooms, there is no doubt that the check-raise is an important weapon in any winning player's arsenal.

Limit games are very tricky with this. If in a 3/6 Hold'em game, player A bets $3, and player B goes all-in with $4, then player C has the option to call the all-in, complete the raise to $6, or fold. If player C completes the raise to $6 then player A may call the $6, fold, or reraise to $9. Now all players have the option to check, as well as call, raise or fold. Learn how to play popular types of poker and the rules specific to each game. Check-Raising Done Right. Since this is a beginner poker strategy series, moves like the check-raise must be handled with care. While the check-raise is definitely an essential move and deserves a spot in every poker player’s toolbox, if you start firing off check-raises willy nilly it’s only going to get you into trouble. Check-raise is permitted in all games, except in certain forms of lowball. In no-limit and pot-limit games, unlimited raising is allowed. In limit poker, for a pot involving three or more players who are not all-in, these limits on raises apply: A game with three or more betting rounds allows a maximum of a bet and three raises. The check raise is one of the more glamorous and sexier poker skills, and there’s not a player you’ll encounter who isn’t fond of slamming down a check raise when the situation calls for it, simply because it feels so good. Maybe it’s the love of deception in all of us.

A check-raise is made when you check when the action gets to you, with the intention of raising if your opponent bets, hence the name 'check-raise'.

As you can imagine it is an interesting move because at first you show weakness to your opponent by checking, and then coming over the top of them to show a great amount of strength. This is why it can be regarded as dishonest as it is such a deceptive play, 'trapping' your opponent's bet into the pot.

So why should you use the check raise?

The check raise is useful in both bluffing your opponents out of pots and getting more money into the pot when you have a good hand. The check-raise also brings a dynamic element to your game by making you become more unpredictable to your opponents.

It is rare to find an amateur player using this move in a poker game, so if your opponents see you using this move they can be fairly sure you know how to play good poker, and may think twice about bluffing you out of future pots. Below are the two areas that describe how the check-raise can be used for bluffing, and getting more money into the pot with a strong hand.

Check raise example.

Poker Rules Check Call Raise Credit

$0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em cash game - 6 Players

SB: $100
Hero (BB): $100.00
UTG: $100
MP: $100
CO: $100
BTN: $100

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is BB with 7 8
2 folds, CO raises to $4, 2 folds, Hero calls $4

Flop: ($9.50) 6 6 9 (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $6, Hero raises $18, CO folds

Check-raising as a bluff and semi-bluff.

The check raise is arguably the strongest move in poker, and so for this reason it is exceptionally useful when trying to pull off a bluff. This move is most effective against one opponent and becomes less successful as you increase the number of opponents, which could really be said for any type of bluff. 3 criteria should be met in order to make a good check raise:

To pull off a check-raise you have to be in first position for the obvious reason that you have to be checking into your opponent to make them bet. If your opponent does indeed bet, then if you raise your opponent you are showing such a high amount of strength that your opponent will fold any marginal hands.

A check raise will only work when you are first to act, otherwise you will simply be raising (if you are last to act).

There are certain criteria you should follow in order for this to be successful.

• You should be confident that you opponent holds a marginal hand.
• You should re-raise at least twice the amount of your opponent's bet.
• The pot should be relatively small.
• It is advisable to have some sort of drawing hand or marginal hand.

Be confident that your opponent has a hand they can fold.

Poker Rules Check Call Raise Limit

Firstly, if you believe that your opponent holds a monster, there is little to no chance that a check-raise will get them off the hand. If you know that your opponent regularly bets after a person checks to him with no hand or with small to middle pairs, there is a far greater chance that a check-raise in this situation will work.

Make a strong raise.

Secondly, the re-raise made by you should be at least twice your opponent's bet. For example if your opponent bets $5 into a $10 pot, you should bet $15, re-raising another $10. This is because a minimum re-raise is likely to have little effect on your opponent, because they will only have to call a small amount relative to the size of the pot in order to see the next card. However, if you are re-raising them at least twice the amount they bet, it will make them think a little bit harder about whether they want to pay as much to see the next card.

Aim to make re raises at least twice the size of your opponent's bet. You do not want to give them good odds to call by minimum raising.

Check raises tend to be more effective in small pots.

Thirdly, you are more likely to pull off a bluff when the pot is small. This will be because the amount your opponent must call to see the next card will be larger relative to the size of the pot, giving them the wrong pot odds or to call to make a second pair or to make their draw. Therefore a check-raise will be more effective on the first actual round of betting, such as on the flop in Hold'em. If there is no betting on the flop then a check-raise will still be as effective on the turn because the pot has remained the same size, because there will have been no betting since the pre-flop betting round.

Finally, you will save yourself more money in the long run if you hold a drawing hand, due to the fact that your opponent will occasionally call your re-raise. If you have no hand, you will have to check and give up your hand to any bets on future rounds, losing the full amount of money you used in the actual raise.

However, if you have a good draw when your opponent calls, you stand a chance of taking the whole pot when you make your draw. In addition to this, you are likely to get a free card after after-check raising on the flop, because your opponent will be afraid to bet into you on future rounds. Giving you extra opportunities to make your draw.

Check raising for extra money.

If you hit a monster hand in poker, your main objective is to get as much money from your opponents as possible, and this is where a check-raise comes in handy. Unlike in the situation mentioned above, you want to use the check raise a little more passively to avoid scaring your opponents out of the hand. As with using this move to bluff opponents, there is another set of criteria that will make this play successful when followed correctly.

• The check-raise for extra money is more effective against multiple opponents.
• Be sure to be in first or early position.
• Do not check-raise too much.

It is advisable to check raise for extra money when there is more than one opponent in the pot, otherwise the move will do what is mentioned in the first part of the article, showing too much strength and making your opponent fold his marginal hand.

In the majority of situations, you are better off betting straight out as opposed to going for the check raise. However, it is a handy play to have in your arsenal in the right spots.

It is better to attempt a check raise when you are in one of the earliest positions in the hand, because if you are one of the last few to act, then you cannot be sure that any of the players behind you will bet to give you the opportunity to raise.

Although you want to extract as much money form your opponents as possible, a large re-raise may scare them all out of the hand. By minimum raising you are giving you opponents a greater incentive to put more money into the pot, because it is not costing them as much to see the next card.

Be sure when you do check-raise to extract extra money from your opponents, that your hand is virtually unbeatable. You do not want to be making minimum re-raise if the board is coordinated enough that your opponents hold hands that could possibly out-draw you.

Check raise evaluation.

When used correctly, the check-raise can be used to your advantage when you do not hold a strong hand, and when you hold a very strong hand. It is well worth your time and effort learning the principles put forward in this article, as it will prove to be of a tremendous value to your poker game.

This article covers the basics that you should know to help you understand how to effectively use this move. Be careful not to over-use this move, as it will lose its credibility the more you use it against the same opponent. The check-raise also requires a certain amount of knowledge about your opponent, which cannot be thoroughly taught through articles. So get out there and practice!

Related articles.

Go back to the awesome Texas Hold'em Strategy.

Comments

When you get down to basics, the check raise is simple. You have a good hand with opponents who act after you do – a hand you strongly suspect is better than anything your opponents could possibly hold – but rather than betting and showing strength, you feign weakness by checking instead. When one of your opponents seizes the initiative and comes out betting, you raise when the action gets back around to you. It’s that simple.

All you did was defer your opportunity to act from early position in the betting order as a way of encouraging one of your opponents to come out betting, thus enabling you to check raise and win even more money than you would have if you had been the bettor and he simply called.

Probably the two most common check raising occasions by beginning players is when they make either the best possible straight or best possible flush, or they flop a set by matching a card to their pocket pair.

Poker Rules Check Call Raise Money

The check raise is one of the more glamorous and sexier poker skills, and there’s not a player you’ll encounter who isn’t fond of slamming down a check raise when the situation calls for it, simply because it feels so good. Maybe it’s the love of deception in all of us. Perhaps it’s the thrill of getting back at the table bully who has been pounding us with bets and raises, and now we get to turn the tables by raising or reraising, and maybe even stacking off all his chips. We showed him; didn’t we? And boy did it feel good.

When to Check Raise and When to Bet

The check raise, like just about every tactical ploy in poker, is sort of a two-edged sword. For every advantage it offers, there are ways savvy opponents can counteract it and dodge your deftly crafted plot.

Before you automatically check all your sets, straights, and flushes, you really have to decide for yourself whether it’s better to come out betting or run the risk that your opponent will simply check behind you if you check first, thus raining on your check raising parade. Your first step in learning how to check raise unsuspecting opponents is to know when to try for a check raise, and when it’s better to come out betting.

First, and Most Obvious, is to Consider Position

Check raising works best when you’re early to act in the betting order. After all, if you’re last to act and check after everyone else has also checked, there’s no way to get a raise in there except to wait for the next betting round – but in doing so, you’ve just given your opponents a free card by not betting. But what if you’re not first to act and not last to act either? There’s no hard and fast rule here, but in general, the later you act, the more difficult it is to check raise. It’s all a matter of numbers. With fewer opponents yet to act, there’s less chance that one of them will fire out a bet for you to pounce on.

The General Rule on Check Raising

There is a general rule on check raising, and it has two component parts. First, check with the intention of raising only when you believe you will have the best hand most of the time you are called.

Just believing that you have the best hand does not justify a check raise. Here’s why. Your hand probably won’t be the best one every time you check raise, and when it’s not, you’re going to find yourself facing a re-raise. To compensate for this, you should only check raise when you believe you will hold the winning hand if you are called. The only exception to this part of the rule occurs when you believe check raising will cause your opponent to lay down a better hand.

Bluffing with the Check Raise

If you believe a check raise will cause your opponent to lay down a better hand, then check raising can be successfully employed as a bluff. Suppose you have a hand like and a third heart comes on the turn:

Figure 1

Because you have the Ace of hearts, you know that your opponent cannot possibly make an Ace-high flush. If you check and he comes out betting, you can check raise and put him to a decision. If he hasn’t made a flush, it’s tough for him to call here, and even if he’s made a small one, he might credit you with a bigger flush and fold to a big raise – particularly if you also raised before the flop.

Will Your Opponent Bet?

This is part two of check raising’s general rule. If you check you need to believe your opponent will come out betting. It’s a hollow feeling to check a big hand only to have your opponent check too, especially if you know he would have called if you came out betting.

If you can’t answer a resounding “yes” to both of these questions, you’re better off betting than trying for a check raise:

1. Are you sure you’ll have the best hand if your opponent calls your check raise?
2. If you check, will your opponent bet?

A Straight vs. a Flush

It’s easier to check raise when you make a straight than when you make a flush. This is because flushes are more obvious to your opponents. Even aggressive adversaries tend to slow down when a third suited card appears. Because they’re betting and you’re calling, they will think you’re on a draw and might just decide to apply the brakes when a third suited card falls.

One way around this is to semi-bluff by betting some of your flush draws, thus convincing your opponents that you have some other hand and are not trying to complete an inexpensive flush draw.

If you’re going to try for a check raise when a third suited card falls, you need an opponent who is aggressive enough to bet right into what might be a completed draw. Sometimes you’ll be able to delude opponents into thinking you have some other hand entirely, but you’ll need some help from the cards to pull this off. Let’s assume you have . You’re raised. You call, and the flop is .

If you come out betting and your opponent holds A-A, K-K, Q-Q, or A-Q, you’ll probably be raised:

Figure 2

Obviously you’ll call in such a situation. By checking and calling if a blank falls on the turn, your opponent might assume you were either trying to steal the pot from early position, “testing” your kicker with a hand like Q-9 or Q-8, or were betting second pair to find out where you stood.

You’re hoping he won’t figure you for a flush draw if you get lucky on the river:

Figure 3

The trap is set because an aggressive opponent will probably bet, and probably make a crying call when you raise, but he’ll pay you off nevertheless.

The Additional Benefits of the Check Raise

Another advantage of betting hands like four-flushes on the flop and checking the turn is that you’ve created some running room to bet other marginal hands on the flop and get a free card on the turn whenever the board is threatening. Check raising helps add deception to your game, and a deceptive strategy will either win additional money from your opponents or allow you to see the turn for free.

There’s a caveat to all of this, and here it is. This only works against sharp opponents who will spend some time thinking about what your hand might be instead of just considering their own cards in a vacuum. When you are able to deceive them, you will have created some additional manoeuvring room for yourself since those opponents will no longer see you as a transparent adversary.

Poker Rules Check Call Raise Minimum

On the other hand, if your opponents are absolute maniacs, compulsive callers, or just brain dead, don’t waste any energy faking them out. They will always follow their hunches, whims, and proclivities, regardless of any seeds of misinformation you scatter in their path.

With a maniac, you don’t need to set up a check raise. He’s going to bet most of the time, and you can snap him off whenever you’re holding a better hand. With a calling station, don’t check raise. Just keep value betting when you have the best of it. You’ll have to show the best hand to win, but you’ll always get paid off.

By Lou Krieger

The author of many best-selling poker books, including “Hold’em Excellence” and “Poker for Dummies”. A true ambassador of the game and one of poker’s greatest ever teachers.