"SLOWPLAYING" in TEXAS HOLD'EM POKER
"Slow-playing" is the act of deceptively checking and calling with a strong, with the intention of trapping other players and raising them in later betting rounds.
Players instinctively slow-play their big hands. All too often however, incorrectly slow-playing causes a player to lose the pot. In low-limit games, you should only slow-play your really big hands - those hands which have a very low probability of losing.
Say you are in the big blind and have:
 
There are three other players that see the flop of:
  
You flopped the flush, and most likely have the best hand. Many players would instinctively slow-play this and check. It checks all around, and after the turn, the board reads:
If you had bet with your baby-flush on the flop, there is a good chance that most people would have folded. Now you're in a situation where anybody with a club higher than your 7 has you beat.
Say instead that you bet the flop. You may get called by someone with a pair of queens, two pair, or even if they have an ace or king of clubs in their hand. Your probability of winning the hand is greater than theirs, and you need to make them pay to beat you. Sometimes another club will fall and ruin your hand, or the board will pair and give someone a full house, but you will most often win the hand, and it's not wise to let someone have a chance to beat you for free.
A good example of when slow-playing might be correct would be if you held:
You raised from early position pre-flop and got two callers. The flop is:
  
There are no straight or flush draw possibilities, and the likelihood that the flop hit someone is low. If you bet out, everyone will probably fold. Thus, it is best to check and hope that someone bluffs at the pot or catches something on the turn.
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