What is Slow Rolling in Poker? Everything you Need to Know

What is slow rolling in poker? It is when a player purposely takes their time to call an all-in bet even when they have a good hand. They will wait until the rest have shown their hole cards before revealing their hand after a dramatic pause.

It can also happen when a player admits to the team or at least one of the opponents of having a losing hand, only for them to show the opposite at the end. It’s also considered slow-rolling when you call it and then take too much time to turn over your winning cards.

Is slow rolling illegal? No, but it is frowned upon because it goes against the game’s unspoken etiquette. Failing to show your hand at a showdown or purposely taking too long gives your opponents false hopes, which breeds bad blood because no one likes to be led along.

When is Slow Rolling in Poker Okay?

You can take your time with your decision or even show weakness during the game to your advantage until you get to the ‘river,’ being the most crucial part of poker. In fact, you can slow down at any point of the game as long as the final community cards have not been served. Players will not take offence at slow-playing or ‘Hollywooding,’ where one bluffs to throw opponents off.

How Can you Avoid Slow Rolling in Poker?

You can avoid this irritating ‘strategy’ by playing by the book as below:

• Take your time checking your cards before showdown to avoid misrepresenting your hand.
• When it is your turn to reveal your cards, do it immediately instead of intentionally taking too much time.
• Let the table know you are all in as soon as you have the best possible hand.

Now, you may get away with a slow roll once in a while, but that should not be taken as a strategy. If playing among friends with whom you have a slow-rolling history, you can go ahead and do it since your team will see it coming. Some players who know what is slow rolling in poker may do it in revenge where someone on the table has been doing it to them. You can also get away with it if the winnings are insignificant since emotions get high when large sums of money are involved.

Conclusion

Try as much as possible not to delay your reveal intentionally because it irritates your teammates, and they may never want to include you in their games again. If you choose to use slow rolling as a strategy, you want to ensure you can get away with it – the winning pot is insignificant, and the team slow-rolls on the regular, so it will not be an isolated case. Poker is a fun game with rules and etiquette, and it helps to observe them as much as possible.