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Slow play

Playing a strong hand weakly to disguise its strength and induce bets.

In depth

**Slow play** is a deceptive poker tactic where a player with a strong hand checks or calls instead of betting aggressively, concealing its strength to encourage opponents to bet or raise. By leveraging perceived weakness, it aims to extract value through an opponent’s aggression rather than initiating action directly. This strategy contrasts with straightforward value betting, relying on opponents’ tendency to wager into what appears to be a vulnerable hand.

Chinese: 慢打 / 钓鱼