If you didn’t hear about slow-rolling, but you played enough hands in poker, it probably happened to you, as poker players can often be very emotional and use all kinds of things to get back at you for taking their money at some point. So what is slow-rolling?
Slow rolling is when a player has an easy decision (holds nuts) mostly on the river and pretends to think or takes a long time to “make a decision” just to give you hope that your bluff or thin value bet might be good, but ends up calling in the end, and you end up surprised why it took him so long. Well, if that happened to you, you got slow-rolled.
Slow-rolling is generally considered a dirty move in poker, but sometimes, if it’s done in a positive vibe or to a player who won’t take it seriously, it can be a funny move. So let’s go through situations where you should ALWAYS slow-roll people. 🙂
Playing Against a Good Friend
If you are playing against a good friend and you have him beat on the river, but it is not for their tournament life in some big tournament, but just for some cash or a small entry, you should consider slowrolling them for fun, as they will get pissed and most likely take it as friendly teasing.
But if not, you can always buy them a drink, explain that it was in good fun, and expect they will do it to you sometimes in the future, which is all good, as poker is competition, but it can also have a note of comedy in the right spots.
Playing Against a Dirty Player
If you have someone who has done something wrong to you, such as slow-rolled you before, talked badly about your poker skills, tanked in every spot, or been rude to the staff, etc.
You are free to slow roll them at every possible opportunity, as they would do it to you as well, and most of the time, that kind of person is not going to be liked in the poker community, so you might even get applauded for knocking them out with a slow roll.
Playing Against Drunk Guy
Well, not all drunk guys are the same. The one I’m talking about is the one who is disrupting the flow of the game. Never knows it’s his turn, consistently talks about irrelevant topics, and makes everybody have a bad time at the table, except him.
You are free to slow roll the guy, but keep in mind that he might get mad after and he might throw a flurry of insults your way or even attack you.
If You Are in The Spotlight
If you are in some kind of featured game with lots of eyeballs watching and you want to leave a mark, maybe slow rolling a player like Nik Airball would give you a highlight moment, especially if it’s a big hand. There is a high probability that you will end up on every poker media in the world, and potentially bring views to the stream, which may give you a ticket to come back and become a poker celebrity and open many new doors in the poker world!
There was recently a situation where Mariano was in a tough spot for 600 big blinds, and he took his time before calling with pocket kings. Once he showed his hand, Nik Airball went on tilt and grilled him about taking so long, saying he wouldn’t play with him anymore, etc.
You can watch the whole situation in the video below. The argument starts at 15:40.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that this article is mainly for fun, and that slow-rolling is a dirty move in general, but sometimes it can be used as a teaser or a way to signal to somebody that their behaviour is not appropriate.
Slow-rolling often happens in online cash games if you are playing lots of hands against another regular who tends to be your fierce rival. If this is going to tilt them and give you some edge, you should slow-roll them at every possible opportunity you get.
*Banner Image courtesy of Jonathan Little
