Slow Play
慢打
Slow playing (or trapping) is the act of playing a very strong hand passively — checking or just calling instead of betting or raising. The goal is to disguise your hand strength and encourage opponents to bet into you or catch up enough to pay you off. While slow playing can extract more value in specific spots, it risks giving free cards that could beat your hand.
Example
You flop a full house and check instead of betting, hoping your opponent will bluff or improve to a hand they'll pay off with.
Related Terms
More Strategy Terms
GTO (Game Theory Optimal)
A mathematically unexploitable strategy derived from game theory.
Bluff
Betting or raising with a weak hand to induce opponents to fold better hands.
Semi-Bluff
Betting or raising with a drawing hand that could improve to the best hand.
Exploitative Play
A strategy that specifically targets and exploits opponents' tendencies and weaknesses.
Float
Calling a bet in position with a weak hand, planning to bluff if checked to on the next street.
Linear Range (Condensed)
A range containing hands ranked by strength, from strongest to a cutoff point, without gaps.