[Gramps]

It's pretty much already been said, but I think most online (i.e. Party low limit) players expect opponents to slowplay trips, etc., because that's what 75% of Party players do. Or when you're in the BB with Q5 and the board comes 7-5-5, they expect you to wait until the Turn to pop everyone, and they may fold where you may have gotten calls/gotten played back at on the flop. It's kind of double-reverse psychology, one with a strong hand usually bets...so Party players often don't bet/don't expect a strong hand to bet right away....so if you play your strong hand fast, people often won't give you credit for it, and a lot of bets will go into the pot from a lot of players on the flop with you holding the best hand.

The point of slowplaying (in part) is to give your opponents misinformation about the strength of your hand. You take the risk of letting them see the Turn cheaply (or for free) in return for them thinking that you have a weak(er) hand than you really do, getting you paid off hansomely (you hope) on 4th and 5th streets. If this misniformation objective is not achieved (if he had a strong hand, he'd check-call/smooth call the flop and bet or C/R the Turn), then the play may end up being -EV.

Or...if they're "loose flop callers" but won't call a Turn bet without a decent hand, you may have gotten 1 extra SB out of them by raising the flop (some players will call with junk, then auto-call a raise), but they'll fold on the Turn anyhow (unless they catch their miracle card).

I've also been diagnosed with the "overslowplaying syndrome," I'm still in a 12-step program to full recovery. When I flop a strong hand, I always feel better about making a mistake by betting/raising and winning the pot early, than when I give a free/cheap card and lose the pot (unless it's unraised against 1 or 2 non-aggressive opponents). Plus, as has already been said, it does disguise some other hands you would raise with on the flop (like if you have trips in LP on a two-flush board, someone may put you on a flush draw and bet into you on the Turn when a 3rd suited card doesn't come. Bet-call-call...COME TO PAPA!!!!).

P.S. If your midterm is essay, go ahead and write in clearer and more organized fashion than the above post... [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]