Sandbagging,
a common phrase used in golf for someone trying to gain
unwarranted strokes, is a term used for slow and deceptive poker
plays. Sandbagging is the
complete opposite of bluffing, whereby a player bets strongly on
a weak hand. Sandbagging is the
phrase used for betting weakly when a player has a strong
holding.
A
player may check or call even though the hand they possess is
one that most players would raise with. The goal is simple, to
try to lure other competitors to continue during the hand,
causing them to up the pot instead of folding, or to lure the
opponent into over betting on an average hand. This ploy is
considered dangerous for a couple of reasons. First it
sacrifices the protection you would gain from a bet or a raise.
Second, it also risks a smaller pot-building option, as others
may also check just to stay in.
Though a risky play, sandbagging
is considered to be a profitable strategy if your hand is so
good, you don't need protection, or if an opponent is likely to
bet when they think you have a weaker hand, or if opponents tend
to fold quickly when you raise or call. Even in those games that
do not permit a check-raise, one can sandbag by just calling
instead of raising early on even though they have a very strong
hand, then later raising as the betting progresses.
Sandbagging
is particularly effective in games with numerous betting rounds.
As an example, suppose you are playing Seven-card stud and your
first three cards are all nines. An opponent with a Queen
showing bets first. You raise that bet, getting two additional
bettors to call. Suppose that on
the next round, the first person who bet gets a second Queen but
that you also get the fourth nine. Your guess is that he might
have two pair or even three Queens. He in turn sees a pair of
nines, so he too suspects you may have two pair or even three
nines. Here, a smart strategy is to sandbag. If he bets again
you can just call, hiding your strength. In fact, that strategy
should be employed for at least another round or two. You might
want to check even if no one else bets, rather than raising.
First of all, your hand is so good that the chance of getting
beat is almost nonexistent, so you don't need any protection. If
the player with the two Queens sees a strong bet, he may fold
early. Allowing other players to continue in the game, even at
smaller stakes, allows them the seeming opportunity to stay in
and improve their hand and if they do, to then begin betting
strongly. Obviously, keeping as many players in the game as
possible has the possibility of continuously building the pot.
An
excellent time for sandbagging
is if you are betting early during the final betting round. Such
an opportunity occurs if you receive a final card that gives you
a very strong hand. If a player in front of you bets, your
raising his bet can have a chilling effect on those to play
after the two of you. By calling, the players who follow you may
concentrate more on the first bet and if they think they can
compete will stay in by at least calling as well. This strategy
works well if there are several players to follow you,
especially if many of them are timid or have a tendency to fold
when raises are bet. If there is only one person after you, then
such a strategy does little to help or it even may drop the pot
because if you had raised and the one player to follow then
decided he had a strong enough hand to call you could walk away
with a larger pot. But with many still to play, several calls
could really add to the pot or even a later raise could be
matched with a call by you after.
