Poker Glossary
Check-Raise
Checking with the intention of raising after an opponent bets behind you. It turns their aggression into your weapon: with strong hands it builds a bigger pot than leading would, and as a bluff it applies maximum pressure. Balanced players check-raise with both monsters and good semi-bluffs, so the move cannot be read as meaning just one thing.
At the table
You flop a set of sixes out of position on 9♣6♦2♠ and check. The raiser bets 6 into 9; you raise to 20 — their entire c-betting range now pays a premium to continue.
House note
Run the move at a free table →← Full glossary — all 52 termsThe check-raise is poker’s polite ambush: “After you. No, really — after you.”
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