Poker Strategy : Slow playing

Slow playing (also called 'sandbagging' or 'trapping') is a deception technique in poker that is roughly the opposite of bluffing: betting weakly or passively with a strong hand rather than betting aggressively with a weak one. The flat call is one such play. The objective of the passive slow play is to lure opponents into a pot who might fold to a raise, or to cause them to bet more strongly than they would if the player had played aggressively (bet or raised). Slow playing sacrifices protection against hands that may improve and risks losing the pot-building value of a bet if the opponent also checks.

Slow playing circumstances

According to David Sklansky, the following conditions are favourable for a profitable slow play:

The importance of table-image when slow playing

When playing against observant opponents, the frequency of bluffing affects the effectiveness of slow playing, and vice versa. If a player's table image is that of an aggressive bluffer, slow playing is less important because his opponents will be more willing to call his usual bets and raises. Similarly, if a player is perceived as a trappy player (uses frequent slow plays), bluffs are less likely to be respected because opponents will expect him to slow play his strong hands.

Within the context of a single betting round, the 'check-raise' can be used as a slow play too.