Hired Guys

A check-raise in online poker occurs when a player, who when the action arrives to him checks for no bet, and yet when another player bets, responds by raising instead of just calling or folding. This kind of action is often considered a sign of extreme strength, in that the player was willing to allow his opponent to catch a free card against him in the event that they had checked behind instead of betting. The theory is that the poker player made such a big hand that he did not want to scare his opponent off and in fact was ready to allow his opponent to improve or ‘catch up’ so that they will be more willing to put money in the pot. This expectation, though, is often employed in the counter method by poker players who want to represent a big hand and steal the pot with nothing. By check raising with their weak hand when another player bets, they are not only representing the ideology of the original idea behind the check-raise (that they have a monster) but they are also forcing their opponent to have a big hand to call them with. For these reasons, the check-raise is often considered one of the more powerful plays in poker.