Is slowplaying a leak?

Is going all in on the flop a leak?

I tend to do those two most of the time. Flopping an Ace while holding AK or something similar and I either slowplay my hand to get my opponent bluff so I get all of his chips or going all in on the flop when he bets big first. BUT I had lost a numerous times. More than expected from variance. My opponent flops two pair on the turn a lot when allin and when I slow play he hits a set on the turn or the river. I believe you get the idea.


Am I being too results-oriented or slowplaying and/or going all in on the flop is an amateur move?

I think you stated your problem above without realizing it. Slow playing and pre-flop shoves should be used sparingly.

For the slow-playing top pair, you are giving your opponent to draw to hands that beat you. If you have the best hand with top pair, the hands you are winning at not likely earning you many chips. For the hands you lose, you are likely losing much bigger pots than you raking in. Your opponents probably have you figured out after doing this a few times and will not be paying you off enough to cover your losses when they outdraw you.

For the second one, you need to take into consideration the board when you are going all in after a big raise like you stated. First you want to be sure you are as ahead as you think you are. You also want to consider what they are raising with. Depending on the stacks, pot size, you could unintentionally improving the value of the hand for your opponent. Sometimes you are betting off making a call instead of raising to see another card if you know your opponent is getting the proper price to draw to their hand.

Well I appreciate your answer. I'll just wait to see if there any others who agree or disagree with you.

Originally Posted by Spaceman

Is slowplaying a leak?

Is going all in on the flop a leak?

I tend to do those two most of the time. Flopping an Ace while holding AK or something similar and I either slowplay my hand to get my opponent bluff so I get all of his chips or going all in on the flop when he bets big first. BUT I had lost a numerous times. More than expected from variance. My opponent flops two pair on the turn a lot when allin and when I slow play he hits a set on the turn or the river. I believe you get the idea.


Am I being too results-oriented or slowplaying and/or going all in on the flop is an amateur move?

By shoving allin on the flop you are actually making it so you are going to either 'win the least' or 'lose the most'.... hands you beat are not going to call you... & the hands that beat you will ALWAYS be calling you. So you'll actually be your own worst enemy... with your TPTK type hands you're not maximizing your wins and are making it very easy for your opponent to play perfectly against you (once they see a hand or two go to showdown).

Originally Posted by Poker Orifice

By shoving allin on the flop you are actually making it so you are going to either 'win the least' or 'lose the most'.... hands you beat are not going to call you... & the hands that beat you will ALWAYS be calling you. So you'll actually be your own worst enemy... with your TPTK type hands you're not maximizing your wins and are making it very easy for your opponent to play perfectly against you (once they see a hand or two go to showdown).

Well to be honest, I was having some freeroll hand in my mind. So I flopped an ace with a king kicker on a dry board and villain bets big on the flop. I suspected ace, and a call to my shove. As it was, he had Ace 8 and called my shove. The thing is the turn was 8. And while I know that its variance and all, I was thinking that shoving on flop maybe it was a bad move cause these kind of things happens too often to me.

Everything in poker should be balanced. It would be fine if you know well your opponents. You can't cbet only when you hit , you can't check only when you miss. Mixing things up in every situation will eventually make you a hard opponent! Opponents who do the above thing are my favorite because I can exploit them easily. Don't be result oriented , many times you will lose your chips by playing correctly. It happens....... a lot : P

Always take into account the board texture, for instance it would be better not to check back your top top on a wet board. It would be better if you cbet it for protection!

Good Luck!

Slow playing is always a leak.

You are winning very little by not betting, letting people draw free/cheap, and ultimately end up winning less over the long run. If you are aggressive, your strong hands are always well hidden, no need to slow play.

The majority of time slow playing is a leak and only time you should consider it would be flopping 4 of a kind or something and you do not want to scare your customer away good luck.

It is dependent on the board being wet or dry and what sort of opponent(s) you have in the hand and how they will respond to the play you decide on.