Check-raise

Checking then raising the opponent's bet on the same street

Definition

The check-raise consists of checking when it's your turn to act, waiting for the opponent to bet, then raising their bet on the same street. It's a doubly aggressive action because it signals a strong hand after appearing passive. The check-raise has several goals: extracting value with very strong hands by inducing the opponent's bet before raising it, protecting a strong hand on a dangerous board, or bluffing by representing a very strong hand to fold out the opponent's medium hands. In GTO, the check-raise must be balanced between value and bluffs to avoid being exploitable. The optimal frequency depends on the board texture and the ranges involved. BB vs BTN is the most common check-raise situation because BB is OOP and must defend through aggression.