CHAPTER SEVEN

CHECK-RAISING

“
The image you wanna create is someone to be feared.
You want to be feared in all situations
“

MASTE RCL ASS

 CHAPTER SEVEN

check-raising

SUBCHAPTERS

• KEEP PEOPLE GUESSING WITH • QUIZ: CHECK-RAISING

YOUR CHECK-RAISING
• QUIZ: CHECK-RAISING #2
• BALANCE YOUR CHECK-RAISES
WITH CHECK-CALLS

TERMS

check-raise (v.): To check

postflop and then raise a bet from
another player.

CHAPTER REVIEW

heck-raising—which is when you check postflop
C and then raise a bet from another player—is an
important weapon in your arsenal. This concept allows
you to fight back against players who have position on
you, so they cannot c-bet against you with impunity.
The threat of a check-raise will make your opponents
think twice before betting, particularly when they have a
medium-strength draw.
Check-raising must be used at the correct frequency, even
though it is a powerful move. You are making the pot
bigger when you have a positional disadvantage, which
can lead to many difficult situations. Another danger
is check-raising on dry flops where it’s tough for your
opponent to have a hand strong enough to call. This
allows them to play perfectly by folding a second-best
hand. This principle also comes into play on turns where
it is normal to raise your nutted hands. If your check-raise
range is not balanced with your check-call range, your
opponent will be able to read your hand and fold strong
hands that they normally continue betting themselves.
You must sometimes check-call a nutted hand worthy of
a raise, and sometimes check-raise a weaker hand that is
normally in your check-call range.

UP YOUR GAME

Implement check-raising into your game by using

strong value hands initially. Assess your opponents’
reactions and add bluffs to your range if they fold
frequently enough. Check-raise dry boards as a bluff
if your opponents are folding too often, and adjust if
they start to play back at you.

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MASTERCLASS