When to check-raise?

[DrGonzo]

Newbie question I guess, but I would really like to know what the best spots are for making a check-raise.

When I played limit holdem a long time ago, I did a substantial amount of check-raising. After switching to NL, I hardly ever check-raise. According to what I read in books and on the forum, you should check-raise much less when you are playing NL and need to build the pot, so I guess that is in order. There should be some occasions when a check-raise is effective though, shouldn't there?

When flopping a really strong hand (set), the consensus seems to be to lead at the pot instead of check-raising. When running a bluff at the pot, you don't want to check-raise, since that jeopardizes a lot of chips. Check-raising with a mediocre hand does not make sense to me since you don't want to risk building a big pot and you don't want weaker hands to fold.

Still, it feels like I'm missing a great weapon in the arsenal when I almost never check-raise. I think the only place I do sometimes check-raise is when I river a big hand that is somewhat concealed. Please tell me what you think are good spots for check-rasing and against what types of opponents.

Thank you

[xorbie]

One good use is in multi way pots. Check raise an LP bettor on a draw heavy board to protect your hand, check raise with good relative position flopped sets to trap callers of contination bets.

Heads up, use it with good hands when villain is more likely to bet than call.

[DrGonzo]

[ QUOTE ]
One good use is in multi way pots. Check raise an LP bettor on a draw heavy board to protect your hand, check raise with good relative position flopped sets to trap callers of contination bets.

Heads up, use it with good hands when villain is more likely to bet than call.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks!

I should have mentioned that I play 6max. Not as many multiway pots there as in full ring games. I certainly see what you mean by check-raising more in multiway with draw-heavy boards. Makes sense when you have more players to trap between you and the raiser.

I'm not sure about heads-up. When you say "when villain is more likely to bet than call" do you mean inducing a bluff or a weak value bet and check-raise to win the pot right away? You would do that with a hand that is so strong that you would like it if he actually called, but you don't figure to be able to make any more money out of him?

[bingledork]

I rarely check-raise either. I think I've done it twice in the last 2000 hands.

I'll do it if:

1) family pot and the guy to my left is the preflop raiser and hence likely to bet the flop and I hit a set.

2) heads up and the pre-flop raiser always makes continuation bets and I've got a worthless hand on a scary all-low-cards board.

[DrGonzo]

[ QUOTE ]
1) family pot and the guy to my left is the preflop raiser and hence likely to bet the flop and I hit a set.


[/ QUOTE ]

Yes. Makes sense if you are likely to get calls between you and the original raiser.

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2) heads up and the pre-flop raiser always makes continuation bets and I've got a worthless hand on a scary all-low-cards board.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not sure about this. I've done this sometimes and it works rather often, but when it doesn't you lose a lot. Say that the pot is 1$. If his bet is potsized (1$) and your raise is also potsized (4$), you risk 4$ to win 2$.

You probably don't need to raise that much though. A minraise to 2$ woud get called to often, but maybe 3$ would be a good amount? Still you risk 3$ to win 2$, so this play has to work at least 3 times out of 5...

[fimbulwinter]

check-raising is something that really loses value in NL.

two ok apps, however are:

C/R AI with a big draw in a raised family pot

C/R AI with a set when your relative position sets you up to bufu the field and the board gives them a reason to call (kind of a bigger game consideration, but still valid)

that said, the really good NL players are betting a lot and getting a lot of folds. one of the reasons they get so many is the fact that people are so scared of the 3bet. also, check/calling=>leading is a much better line in many instances when bad players like to checkraise.

fim

[pokerjoker]

If you are playing 25NL-50NL tables my advice is dont do it on bluffs otherwise I probably do it on a bluff about 2-3x per 1000 hands when I get a good read.

Basically I check raise when I have a really strong hand and someone raises with a strong hand. The two factors that determine if I will raise or check raise are:
1. Likelyhood someone will raise
2. How likely it is that someone will get a better hand than me if they get a free card.

[foldem]

check raising the turn link.