Sandbag
Sandbagging is another word for slow or deceptive play in poker. While bluffing is the act of betting strongly with weak cards, when a person bets slowly or weakly with a strong hand, s/he is said to sandbag the play. Unlike a bluff, where the player is basically trying to make opponents fold, a sandbag is meant to entice players into betting more and in larger amounts.
This tactic tries to involve even those players who would have, otherwise, folded. As a result, opponents are lured into the belief that the player is playing on despite poor cards and therefore, it is played at the sacrifice of protection that would have, otherwise, kept the player safe from losing out to opponents who might go on to secure a bigger or stronger hand as the community cards are revealed.
The player will also lose the ability to control the amount by which the pot is built as her/his opponents may not bet heavily, even though they might constantly bet something.
For a player to successfully carry out a sandbag play, s/he must have an extremely strong pair of hands as s/he is depending on the other players to continue the game to the river, which might draw outs for others also. The cards that appear on the flop should provide the opponents with strong hands too, although those hands must only be good enough for second best.
For a successful sandbag, the player must believe that the slow play will lure opponents out to stay in the pot. If the size of the pot is quite large, then players with weaker or drawing hands may not think it feasible to stay in it.
When playing against extremely observant or experienced players, it is the speed of bluffing and it frequency that determines the effectiveness of a sandbag. As an aggressive bluffer, a player’s bets might have a stronger chance of being called and raised and that would decrease the need for slow play significantly. However, someone who is reputed as a slow player or has utilized the sandbag all too frequently then there is a strong chance for others to pick up a sandbag move.
Forrige begrep: Rush, Neste begrep: Satellite
