When do you checkraise?

[Macquarie]

[ QUOTE ]
First to act, I may check to find out who raises his ace, hopefully get a caller or two in between, and then throw out a pot sized+ check raise out there

[/ QUOTE ]

This is good,, I like it - checking into a multiway field, seeing a bet and a few callers and then dropping in the CR to thin the field. I can see this being much better than betting out, and someone raising and causing the others to fold out.
players.

In a multiway field like this the CR seems good - you might pick up a few extra bets to compensate for giving away your strength.

[MTBlue]

Why in the world would you min raise here? The board is draw heavy and a min raise gives your opponents 4:1 odds to draw which is basically correct. Check raise all-in is a very aggressive play that gets called more than its fair share b/c people get attached to top pair type hands and pay off your sets. Get your money in while your ahead and don't worry about the outcome.

[MTBlue]

I like to use the check-raise the pot or larger (not min-raise!) in several different positions. The first is when I am in the blinds with a marginal holding and a player has made a weak bet (not always small! certain types of players bet big when they're weak). This forces the field to call a large bet to continue playing, generally they fold, and the original bettor also usually folds. If he calls then lead for 2/3 of the pot on the turn. The bettor will only call the turn with top pair top kicker or better.

The second situation is with a big draw. The check raise usually wins the pot on the flop and if someone calls and your draw hits they will pay you off because check-raising is done %90 of the time with a made hand.

The final situation is on the river when I have the virtual nuts against an aggressive opponent who I think either has a big made hand or a big busted draw. The aggressive opponent will bluff on the river with the busted draw and then fold to your raise, but will have folded without betting if you lead out. If he has a big made hand he bets and then pays you off with his stack. The main flaw with this play is that if I am wrong and the opponent has a weak made hand that he wants to show down and he checks behind.

On the side the check min raise is a horrible play imo. The opponents has odds to draw against you-- 4:1 if the opponent bet the pot and the you don't allow the villain to make a big mistake. He knows that you are probably not bluffing (who is going to fold to minraise?) and that you have a big hand so most of the time he only calls which wins you a minimal amount of money. A bigger raise allows the opponent to make a bigger mistake i.e. you win the most money. It also puts an element of doubt in the villains mind. Is he trying to blow me off my hand?

[ajmargarine]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
First to act, I may check to find out who raises his ace, hopefully get a caller or two in between, and then throw out a pot sized+ check raise out there

[/ QUOTE ]

This is good,, I like it - checking into a multiway field, seeing a bet and a few callers and then dropping in the CR to thin the field. I can see this being much better than betting out, and someone raising and causing the others to fold out.
players.

In a multiway field like this the CR seems good - you might pick up a few extra bets to compensate for giving away your strength.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, and notice the situation was where I wanted to probably take the pot right there. Flush and straight draws on the board. If the board was K-9-3 rainbow, and I have trip 9's first to act, I probably wouldn't checkraise the flop there. I may bet out. Or if I'm feeling daring, check/call the flop, and checkraise the turn if someone is betting out behind.

[djoyce003]

I actually use the checkraise as a defense to an opponent who ALWAYS bets when checked to in order to steal the pot. I just check my strong hands to him and pop him a few times...then he'll start checking behind me some on future hands where i'd really like a free card. So for me, it's not so much situational as opponent based.

[ajmargarine]

[ QUOTE ]
I like to use the check-raise the pot or larger (not min-raise!)

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, check-raising the pot or larger is almost always best. But, there is one situation where I like to check/mini raise. Because the miniraise is often an automatic call at lower levels (and I do it only on the turn).

Hypothetical. Hero is BB with As-10s. 3 limpers, and Hero checks. 1/2 blinds, so $8 pot. Flop comes Js-10h-3s. Hero flops second pair and nut flush draw, leads the betting for $4, gets 2 callers, $20 pot. 9s comes on the turn, giving Hero the nuts. Hero checks, next to act bets $7, last to act calls; now here is when I would do the check/miniraise. It's so hard for people to lay down their hands to a miniraise, and more than likely they will both call you, and you can lead out on the river. By leading out on the flop, and then feigning fear when the flush card hits, a checkraise can be a beautiful thing.

--aj