So you want to get better at check raising on the flop - how do you do it?
Maybe you set up some drills in DTO or GTO Wizard.
Or filter for hands in your database where you've check raised and run them through your favourite solver.
The thing is, unless you get really specific, you're going to waste time.
And your goal should always be to make your study time as efficient as possible.
So today I want to show you the quick and easy 5-step method for getting better at check raising on the flop so you can check raise like the pros in no time.
Let's dive in...
1/ Use aggregate reports
The quickest way identify flop textures that you can attack is to use an aggregate report.
An aggregate report is a report that compiles (or aggregates) data from lots of different situations and puts them together in a spreadsheet that you can then filter and sort.
Start by sorting by highest frequency check raise.
Here's an example at 30bb BB facing a small continuation bet from the BTN:
The top 15 (of 1,755) flops for check raising in this spot are all paired boards.
Here is a breakdown of the different textures by check raise frequency:
2/ Check those boards happen enough
The top 6 board textures make up almost 80% of all flops that you'll see. When you identify a high frequency check raise board texture, make sure it's one that's worth studying.
The great thing is that the top 6 board textures for check raising in this example are the top 6 board textures you should study.
Quick note: That might not always be the case.
So, to make your study time as efficient as possible, in this example you should just focus on:
Paired
Low unconnected
J/T + 2
K/Q + 2
2 Broadway
J/T connected
In that order.
3/ Identify patterns for value & bluffs
Using the aggregate report again, you can filter by flop texture and then sort by highest frequency check raise to see which flop gets check raised the most in that category.
Here's what that looks like in our 30bb BB vs small BTN c-bet spot:
When studying different flops, you want to look at what you raise for value and what you raise as a bluff.
On the 994fd board, the value raises come from:
Trips, e.g. Q9 or 98
2nd pair, e.g. A4 or 43
And the bluff raises come from:
Flush draws, e.g. Qc6c or Jc5c
Backdoor flush draws, e.g. 5d4d or Kc3h
On the J32r board, the value raises come from:
2 pair, e.g. J3 or 32
Top pair, e.g. KJ or QJ
And the bluff raises come from:
8 out straight draws, e.g. 54
4 out straight draws, e.g. A5 or 65
3 to a flush, 3 to a straight draws, e.g. QhTh or 7c4c
There are also some "funky" raises from your best 3x like A3, K3 and Q3 and ones that have a backdoor straight draw like 53s and 43s, especially if you have a backdoor flush draw too.
4/ Set up training drills
The next step is to set up training drills to start putting your ideas into practice
You're probably going to get very good, very fast at check raising on the flop. But then turns and rivers are going to be tricky and you might not know what to do.
This is a good thing—It gives you an opportunity to study these spots further and learn what to do on different runouts.
5/ Learn from your mistakes & blunders
When you do make mistakes, it's important to work out what's going wrong. Share these hands with your friends or study partners and ask for feedback.
Also, you can filter your own database for marked hands where you've check raised and share them for feedback too.
Summary
To get good at check raising on the flop really quickly, do this:
1/ Use aggregate reports
2/ Check those boards happen enough
3/ Identify patterns for value & bluffs
4/ Set up training drills
5/ Learn from your mistakes & blunders
And if you want to get really good, purchase the replay of my recent hot seat coaching sessions where one of my students learnt how to Check Raise Like The Pros.
That's it for this week.
See you next time.
Whenever you're ready, here's how I can help you:
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