Fast and Slow Plays in Post-Flop Poker

How do we balance fast and slow plays in post-flop poker? Many poker players miss the equilibrium in applying fast and slow plays.

In most post-flop plays it is better to apply a fast play than a slow one. In fact, many counsel that we should very seldom do slow plays. There are times when slow plays can enable us to take more from the pot, but at the same time, it can also suddenly enable other players to suddenly steal the pot from us. Some players are so daring that they would try to pursue on a slow play for too much. These are players we must teach a lesson in daring too slow plays, and make them realize the error.

We should wake slow players up from thinking that dragging the play for building pot size is always good. And we should not commit the same mistake. Sometimes, slow plays are warranted, but fast plays are more the rule than the exception. With slow plays we dole out free cards to other players and that gives them opportunities to hit their needed cards and suddenly win and steal the pot we thought was already in our hands.

Once we lose because of our slow play, losing the pot this way far outweighs what extra bets we may have won. Fast playing has far more advantages, especially post-flop. One of the common benefits of fast plays is that usually it hides our strong hand so that other players would think we have a weak hand or that we're trying to bluff our way to the pot. Players are of the common idea that slow players are often strong players building the pot they would win. So they mostly fear slow players.

But slow playing post-flop is also recommended at times. Say, on the flop, we manage an ace flush and we come from a late position. With this scenario, it is interesting to just let other players bet to us using their poor hands and then we suddenly raise them later. We can do the same when the flop has for us a full house because we have left the deck with nothing much to offer other players with. But not so when we come from an early position—although we must also play fast from that position so that we may be able to get some to raise us.

Fast and slow plays in post-flop poker should be gauged on poker positions and how people react with their raises.