What is a Slow Roll in Poker & How to Avoid it

A slow roll in poker is delaying showing your hand even though it’s strong and you’ve most likely already won. It is a big faux pas in poker etiquette, and those who do it will likely be the least popular person at the table. In this article, you can discover exactly what slow rolling is, why it’s frowned upon, where it falls within the rules of poker, and how to avoid doing it.

What Does it Mean to Slow Roll in Poker?

A slow roll is one of the biggest breaches of poker etiquette, but what does it mean to slow roll in poker? Slow rolling is when a player with a very strong hand, either most probably or certainly the winning hand, delays showing their cards at the showdown and/or misinterprets their hand, indicating they’ve lost when they know they’ve won. Here are a few examples of slow rolling in poker.

A player takes a long pause before calling an all-in bet when they have the nuts(the best possible hand) instead of snap-calling (making the call instantly).
A player pretends that they might fold before then calling and revealing an unbeatable hand.
After seeing their opponent’s hand, a player takes a long time to flip their cards over, knowing they’ve won.
A player knows they have the best hand but has a long discussion about all the possible hands they could have before making the call.
A player lies to his opponent before calling, for example, saying they have a pair when they actually have an Ace high flush, making their opponents incorrectly think they have a chance of winning.

Why is Slow Rolling Frowned Upon?

Some people may wonder, “Why is slow rolling frowned upon?” It’s just adding a little drama. Well, it’s frowned upon for a few reasons. The main reason is that it’s seen as disrespecting or taunting the opponent and is unsporting behavior. It’s viewed in very much the same way as celebrating right in front of someone’s face when you score in football or cheering when an opponent misses a putt in golf.

The other reason, to a lesser extent, is that you are just wasting everyone’s time at the table. Poker tournaments are notoriously long affairs. Even a friendly tournament with a few friends at home can take hours, let alone large Multi-table tournaments at casinos. Players will get annoyed if someone is needlessly extending the tournament.

How to Avoid Slow Rolling in Poker

Now you know what a slow roll in poker is. Unless you want to be the most hated person at the table or never be invited back to your friend’s games, you probably want to avoid it. So, let’s take a look at some tips on how to ensure you don’t perform this poker faux pas.

Immediately Reveal Your Hand: When you call an all-in and you are the last person to act, show your hand immediately.
Call Quickly When You Have the Nuts: You should always call an all-in immediately when you know you have an unbeatable hand.
Understand Poker Rankings: You should fully understand poker rankings and be aware of the situation on the board so you know when you have the nuts.
Don’t Get Distracted: If you’re scrolling through your phone or chatting with someone else, you may unintentionally slow roll.
Listen to the Dealer: In live dealer games, the dealer announces the action. They state what action a player has taken and when it is the showdown. Pay attention to the dealer, and don’t delay taking action when it could be perceived as slow rolling.

Hollywood vs Poker Slow Roll

While slow rolling is a big no-no at online casinos and land-based poker rooms, Hollywooding or slow playing are acceptable and legitimate poker strategies. The two acts may seem similar, but there is one major difference: Hollywooding is done during active play, while a slow roll occurs when no more actions are to take place.

For example, say you have a J and 10 of spades in the pocket, and after the turn, there’s a 9,8, Q of spades, and an Ace of hearts on the board. You’ve got a straight flush, one of the best hands in poker. There’s one opponent in the hand, and they make a bet. You spend a long time debating whether to call and act if your hand is weaker than it is.

Slow Rolling in Poker

This is Hollywooding and perfectly fine as you are trying to deceive your opponent into thinking you have a weak hand so they will commit more money to the pot on the river. There’s a strategic element to the deception.

If a 5 of hearts comes on the river, you now know you have the best hand. If your opponent then goes all in and you spend a long time debating whether to call, you are now slow rolling. There’s no more action to be taken after you, and you know you have the winning hand there’s nothing to be gained from indicating a weaker hand. So, at this point, you should immediately call the all-in.

Live Poker Slow Rolling vs Online Poker Slow Rolling

Live games are not the only place a slow roll in poker can happen. Players can also slow roll at online poker casinos. However, it is seen as much worse to slow roll in live games than online, and we will explain why.

Slow Rolling in Live Poker

One reason poker slow rolling in live games is perceived as worse than online is that it is almost always intentional. In live games, players are only playing one game and one hand at a time and should be completely focused on the game. They can’t really use the excuse of not being aware of the situation.

Additionally, at live games, players are face-to-face, and it’s much easier to upset the atmosphere. If players start to argue or berate each other vocally, it’s different from people angrily typing in a chat box online.

Joe Yarnold
Editor

Expert Insight

To avoid committing the poker “sin” of slow-rolling, make sure to pay close attention while you remain in hand, particularly at the showdown. Make an all-in call quickly if you have the nuts, and don’t delay in revealing your hand.

Slow Rolling in Online Poker

Slow rolling online is much more forgivable than in live games because it’s often unintentional. Players online often play multiple games at the same time, so their attention might not be on the game, and the delay is not on purpose.

Other potential distractions when playing online include connection issues, DoorDash arriving, etc. Slow rolling online is also somewhat limited as there are timers, and players only have a certain amount of time to act.

In addition, at online poker rooms, you aren’t face-to-face, and it’s much harder to spoil the atmosphere when all players can do is write a message in chat, it just doesn’t cause as much tension at the table.

Examples of Slow Rolls

There’s no better way to answer “What does slow roll mean in poker?” than by looking at some real-world examples. Below, you can find some examples of players who have tried slow rolling in live televised poker games.

Andreas Gann, 2015 Irish Poker Open

In the 2015 Irish Poker Open, Andreas Gann slow-rolled Donnacha O’Dea with some bad consequences. On the final table, Gann was fairly short-stacked with 252K chips, with blinds at 25k/50k.

Donnacha raised to 100k with an A and 6 of clubs. Gann, who was small blind with A and K of diamonds in hand, called the raise, so now he had around 40% of his modest stack in the pot.

The flop came out 6, 8, A of diamonds, giving Gann an Ace high flush with the King, the strongest possible hand on the table so far. Gann checked, and then O’Dea bet 300K, which would put Gann all in.

Although there were cards that could come out that would lose him the hand, he knew he was the heavy favorite. With so much of his small stack already in the pot, it should have been a snap call. Instead, he took over a minute to call and feigned he thought he was behind by shaking his head and huffing and puffing.

When he did call, the other players didn’t take kindly to the slow roll, nor did the crowd, who audibly booed him. Luckily, there was some instant karma when, on the river, a 6 of hearts came out, giving O’Dea a full house and winning him the hand.

Sascha Cornils, World Cup of Poker 2010

At the 2010 World Cup of Poker (WCOP), German Cornils took slow rolling to a new level. The WCOP works differently from most other tournaments. Rather than individually competing, players from teams take turns playing. If one player gets knocked out, the whole team is eliminated. Because of this format, teams are allowed to call a “time-out” and consult with their team.

While playing for Germany, Corenils got the best pocket hand in poker: a pair of Aces. Canadian representative Surhato had pocket Kings in the small blind position. Another player made a raise before Cornils re-raised to 8k. Surhato then went all in with his Kings.

All other players had folded, and the action was on Cornelis. Rather than instantly calling, which the commentators were expecting and would have been the right call, Cornelis called a timeout and went off to speak with his team. He then returned to the table and stated he called but still took a short pause before showing his cards.

The Canadian team didn’t take too well to their player being so excessively slow rolled and expressed their feelings to the non-playing German team, which, in fairness, apologized for Cornil’s inappropriate behavior.

Jack Ury, 2009 WSOP

In 2009, at the WSOP, 96-year-old Jack Ury pulled off what is seen by many as one of the “best” slow rolls in history against Steven Friedlander.

Ury was holding a pocket pair of 7s, and Friedlander had a 6 and 7. The flop came out 6, 6, 7. Ury placed a 1k bet, and Friedlander, probably thinking he had the best hand, said, “You don’t wanna just get ’em all in.” He appeared to taunt Jack before going all in.

Jack calls fairly quickly and says, “What you got.” Friedlander turns over his 6,7, revealing his full house ‘sixes over sevens.’ Jack then says, “You’re in trouble,” but delays turning over his hand. You can hear someone saying, “Turn ’em over,” but Jack delays a little longer before flipping over his full house ‘seven over sixes.’

Unlike most other times, a player slowly rolls the commentators, and the other players at the table seemed to very much enjoy this. This is most likely because of Jack’s advantaged age and the fact that Friedlander had appeared to goade Jack when he put him all in.

Is Poker Slow Rolling Against the Rules?

Is slow rolling bad in poker? Yes, absolutely. It’s very bad poker manners and serves no strategic purpose. But is it against the rules? Well, no. There are no rules that prohibit slow rolling, and you will face no official punishment for it.

However, while there’s no official punishment for it, if you do it often in a private game, you probably won’t continue to be invited. If you do it in a public game, it’s likely to sour the atmosphere of the table, and you will probably become a target for other players.

More Useful Poker Guides

Below are further guides on a variety of poker topics that can help you improve your game and improve your chances of success.

Our Final Thoughts on Slow Rolling in Poker

A slow roll in poker serves no real purpose other than to annoy and taunt your opponent. It usually causes unneeded tension at the table and animosity toward the slow roller. This is why it should be avoided at all costs.

To avoid unintentionally slow rolling, show your cards immediately after calling all in a showdown, and if you know you definitely have or most likely have the best hand when someone goes in, don’t delay calling the all-in. When you’re ready to try your hand at poker, be sure to check out what Wild Casino has to offer.

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Responsible Gambling

Poker and other forms of gambling are harmless activities that can be played for enjoyment by many. However, there are some who can develop gambling disorders, which can have profound negative effects on their financial situation and mental well-being.

This is why responsible gambling is always vital, as it can protect you from these possible dangers. Make sure to be aware of best gambling practices and seek assistance if you believe you may have a problem.