Lately, I've been getting check-raised to death...well, not exactly just lately, it's been about 3 years of constantly being check-raised by my opponents. Logically they couldn't possibly have the nut or near nut hand every time this happens because nut and near nut hands are rare in holdem. Nevertheless, they're illogically getting in a lot of chips against me whenever I miss the flop after raising preflop, they check, indicating weakness, I bet, they check-raise. I have to fold when I don't have anything, but what if I do have something? Are you a check-raiser? What kinds of hands do you check-raise with? Do you check-raise with just top pair big kicker sometimes? Do you ever check-raise bluff if you think your opponent's bet was just a c-bet with nothing? Let's say you call my preflop raise with Q8 and you miraculously hit 2 eights on the flop...you check, I bet, now do you check-raise???? Aren't you afraid I might pick up on the fact that you have an 8 and fold and you lose extra chips you could have made from me had you just check-checked and maybe hit me with a bet on the turn? I just don't understand how your check-raising works so well whenever I'm your opponent, but I do admit it does. It's turned me from a winning player to a break-even player (well, that and a bad luck streak where you're hitting your flush draws way too often)...
can anyone help me figure out what's going on here so I can maybe take a better approach?
Um generally its hard to define a checkraise on a whole contrast.. the only true way to know is pick up information on how active they arehopefully see somewholecards, take down the next street, firstly you dont wanna fold to a check raise unless you have too (no
equity)
It can damage your image and invite players to put more pressure on you,
for me personally I'll play the hand out in sync with my betting, if I've raised 3x and got called I'l look at the board, Im not affraid to check call with air or check raise if a K or A hits - its always going to be hard for them to come all the way to the river after that with alot of aggression, unless they are very strong.,
I find a good opponent will view a check call as stronger than the check raise, because by check raising early im giving away my hand strength* so they are weary of the check call on the flop. (ofcourse your image needs to be in sync)
that being said if their is a wet board like a flush draw, straight/or backdoor str8. Im happy to put a big raise in with like top pair/any non flushing made hands... or a re raise, check raise.
its almost impossible for my opponents to define whether im repping a flush draw or trying to protect my hand unless they know my tendancies very well.
the key is really to play in sync with your pre action and the board, in addition semi
bluffing your equity hands, or floating off the first barrel with the intention of improving or repping a scare card.
alot of players will just call you down if you c-bet hoping to improve hit top pairs, hit draws, so when that check-raise comes in hes either a tricky F*** or he has something to seriously think about. LOL
but one way to reduce the amount of check raise bluffs is to play back at them dont become an easy target, its then going to be more likely a genuine hand