When you flop a really massive hand, the immediate impulse in a majority of players is to slow down. Checking and acting weak when you’ve made a monster is intended to confuse your poker opponent into believing he has the best hand, or at least that he can push you off of yours, thus causing him to bet into you, in effect donating to your stacks.
While indeed this slowplaying method can and does work out to pay good dividends, it can also, if used too often or in the wrong spots, end up causing you to give away the online poker hand.
In considering whether or not to slowplay, the texture of the board is the major element to regard. For boards that are flushing, with two or three to flush already on board, or where straight draws have a lot of terrain, you might often want to continue applying pressure, especially against opponents who have a tendency to draw. There is nothing worse than allowing an opponent to backdoor for free into a hand that you then have to pay off with that monster that isn’t quite such a monster anymore.
When in doubt, betting out is better than slowplaying, as it’s never too early to take a pot down at the casino.
