Never slowplay?

I have changed my style to tight/aggressive for a little while. This normally results in a preflop raise by me with a good starting hand (varying the raise) and then even if I hit or not I throw in a 3-5xBB bet to probe for limpers. However, I find if I have even the nuts (flop a flush, trips, straight, etc.) I am very hesitant to slowplay because I have been taken out by calling stations on the river so many times. Depending on the table I might even throw in a 10xBB bet to chase everyone away who didn't hit something huge.

Am I losing money by not slowplaying and simply betting people out after the flop? Or is discretion the better part of valor and if I can take the pot down without showing down is that the best play? To me it is no risk less money versus more risk more money.

Also, is this type of play very readable? I'm playing micro limits so I'm pretty sure people aren't taking notes but occasionally I run into someone who starts playing into me. This usually means I simply change tables.

No, there is a time and place to slow-play, but at the low limit buy-in's, this should be reserved for ultra power pack hands and not those susceptible to being outdrawn.

^^^ agree, the only time I would slow play would be with a set where there were no draws out, which happens pretty rarely. You may give up some money, but when people see you always bet they'll be more inclined to come after you with a second best hand, and also generally more inclined to raise you rather than call (which is good if you have nothing).

Yeah, I rarely slowplay anymore unless it's a monster hand. I was asking myself this question the other night playing a $20 SnG when I had a hand that I wondered if I could've gotten more out of. I'd rather win a bunch of small pots than gamble on a big one.

If you flop a a hand that really can't be drawn out (Full house, straight flush, quads) its fine to slow play... and to induce bluffing.. but for hands like trips (not a set), they can be vunulerable and often lose to backdoor flushes/straights if someone checks and lets it happen the whole time

Originally Posted by bencathers

If you flop a a hand that really can't be drawn out (Full house, straight flush, quads) its fine to slow play... and to induce bluffing.. but for hands like trips (not a set), they can be vunulerable and often lose to backdoor flushes/straights, sets, if someone checks and lets it happen the whole time

There, I fixed it.

Sorry, I had this happen recently and I dont want to forget that lesson.

I hit trip Qs and was taken down by a set of 7s that hit on the turn. Showing trip queens is less fun when your opponent shows a full boat, 7s full of queens.

If I flop the nut flush from an early position would be to check/call the flop, check/raise the turn, and come strong on the river. if i flop a boat i'm slow playing it most of the time. Also, if I flop bottom set on a rainbow flop without some sort of open ended straight draw on the board (33 with a 3 QA flop or something like that) I'll check/call it on the flop to let the TPTK and TPGK's to bet into me, but that's all based on reads you have on the guy and what type of player he is. Generally, these are really the only times i'd slow play.

It also, on occasions, pays off to bet out a strong hand because, at the low-level buy-ins, people are often convinced that u are bluffing!

yep, thats 100% true. i thought after i posted it when i was reading another post that i forgot about continuation bets..if you are holding like AQ from a late position, fire out a raise and the button calls you and you get a AA9 flop and fire out a bet, you MUST be holding JQ or QK or a low-mid pp to quite a lot of people at lower limits, so don't be afraid to bet it out. it's a lot better to get them to fold than to go runner runner chasing their 3 to the flush or gutshot straight draw to beat your 3 of a kind or top 2 pair or whatever you have and lose a big pot because you let them see the cards they needed for free or for a very small price.

I would slowplay monsters - boats, nut flushes, sometimes nut straights
I will only slowplay sets on a board with no str8 or flush draws, and when I am pretty sure I will get some action I can smooth call.
With real monsters I dont care about having a free card to give people a chance to improve, but with a set I would like to see some action on every strret