Poker is a fun game with many seemingly contradictory ideas. On the one hand, lying, taunting and outright insulting other players is a regular part of the game. On the other hand, there are certain lines that should never be crossed. One of them is to move slowly. Basically, if you slow someone down, even if it’s unintentional, you’re likely to be spurned at your table, or at worst initiate a fistfight.

What exactly is a slow roll? When cards are dealt, a slow roll occurs when a player with a particularly strong hand, usually a nut hand, is faced with a bet on the river and delays too long to call or turn over his cards. This is usually done to deceive the opponent and convince him that he has a winning hand. Slow rolling is a significant violation of poker etiquette.

Here are three specific examples of how a player can use a strong hand to slow down an opponent:

• After making a big bet or all-in, pausing on the river
• Checking quickly, but then spending a long time turning over the winning cards
• Pretending to be unhappy or admitting defeat before turning over the winning hand at any time after a bet or all-in.

Why is Slow Rolling banned?

Slow Rolling is banned because it cheats the player of losing a large sum of money or chips at the poker table. It adds unnecessary stress to an already stressful situation for the player. When you hold off on presenting a strong hand, you give your opponent the mistaken impression that the pot will go his way. There is nothing more vicious than a poker table. Here are some scenarios in which sluggishness can occur.

A slow roller can do the following:

• Act disappointed or even sigh before delaying and turning over a winning hand.
• Make statements that lead the opponent to believe that he is the winner.
• Before making contact, go “into the tank” and wait a few minutes.
• Before quickly turning over their cards, they hold them over the mud as if to throw them away.

Is it illegal to enter the game slowly?

Usually, there is no formal rule stating that you must not take a long time to check or turn over your cards with a strong hand. However, slow-turning in the wrong poker room can get you blacklisted or worse. I have heard of acts of violence taking place in parking lots in front of casinos when someone was slowed down.

I would advise you to check the local rules before you slow roll, but I think this is terrible advice. You should be thinking about how to beat your opponents, not how to make them hate you for life. For most poker players, slow rolling is a heinous crime.

What should you do if you have been subjected to slow rolling?

It is usually recommended that you take the better route if you are on the receiving end of a slow roll. Someone is most likely doing it to get under your skin and take you out of the game. As a result, the best policy is to just say “great hand” and move on.

Still, keep this in mind the next time you’re on the river with a particularly strong hand and that player goes all-in. You know the saying regarding payback.

Etiquette in Slow Roll Poker

It is very important to develop the habit of revealing your cards immediately after you make a check to avoid slow roll. Even if you have a hand that is less than nuts, if the other person has a slightly worse hand, you can be seen as slow-rolling. You also get some bonus benefits by insta-turning your hands up:

• It increases the speed of the game.
• It’s impossible for you to accidentally fold your best hand.
• You’ll also be able to confidently show the marginal hands you’re going in with, which will discourage future opponents from bluffing.

Is it ever okay to slow deal?

It may be okay to slow roll someone in rare cases. Still, I would avoid slow rolling until you have developed a feel for reading the table dynamics.

Here are some situations where slow roll is acceptable:

• Someone at the table has recently been slow-rolled, and you have a strong hand on the river against the slow-roller.
• You are playing with a group of buddies, and it is customary to slow-roll nuts.
• Another player has been rude and unkind to other players (make sure you’re ready to take off if you slow-roll this jerk)
• You have the image of a rookie and decide to slow roll to maintain that impression (don’t overdo it and make sure you look like you honestly believe you misread the hand).
• It’s the last table in the tournament, and another all-in is underway at an adjacent table

Summary

While slow rolling a person holding nuts may seem fun, it’s better to stick to the golden rule. No matter how high the stakes are, losing a big pot on the river after you believed you had the best hand is a terrible feeling. Just because you’re trying to outsmart your opponents doesn’t mean you have to treat them badly.