Everyone has heard the usual reason to avoid slow playing: it can be dangerous. When you slow play, you give your opponent a chance to make a better hand at a minimal cost. But there is another reason to play your big hands fast, one that doesn’t get mentioned often. A slow play gives an opponent a chance to catch a hand more cheaply than he would have if you had played it fast from the start. Here is an example.

You're in a late position in a No-Limit Hold 'em game. A player in early position raises. You check your cards, see pocket 7s, and decide to call. The flop is absolutely perfect: Qh 7h 2d. You've hit a set and, with a Queen out there, there is a chance your opponent has something – maybe A-Q, pocket Kings or Aces. He’ll bet the flop.

Most players will call in this spot, in hopes to get their opponent to bet on the turn. However, a raise can be the better play. If you just call, you risk seeing a heart on the turn. Normally you wouldn’t need to be worried about the flush beating your set. You could get your set beat with a flush draw even if you raise. You do need to be worried about the effect the third heart will have on your opponent. If he suspects that you were on the flush draw, he may no longer be willing to commit a large stack of chips to the hand, even if he has Aces.

In actuality, any King, Jack, 10, 9 or any card that pairs the board will likely give the other player reason to pause. If he bet’s the turn and you raise, you represent that the turn card helped you. In essence, you're saying that you liked the flop, liked it enough to call and he’’ think that the turn improved your hand in some way. You’re representing that you can beat a pair. 

The flop may have been the only time your opponent is willing to make a stand with his pair. If he bet’s the flop of Qh 7h 2d and then you raise, he's likely to think that you're possibly bluffing -- raising on a flush draw. He might feel compelled to protect his hand with a large re-raise or perhaps go all in. If this happens, you'll take down a monster pot.

It's also fine when a flop raise doesn't get the result that you want. You may scare off someone holding pocket J’s or A-K, but you wouldn't make much money off these hands anyway. Also, if you're up against Ah-Jh, you could lose a large pot to a flush which is fine, because you'll have gotten your money in with the best hand.

Of course, there are times where slow playing is the best play. If you flop quads or something like a full house, you want your opponent to have a chance to make some kind of hand on the turn or river. More often than not, the best option is to play fast on the flop.

Howard Lederer