
"To help speed up play, preselect your next action."
Your reply should be an emphatic "No thank you!"
Exception:
Insta-folding would be acceptable in many situations, ie; 2 7 offsuit
preflop form early position. Even still, don't be too liberal with the
insta-fold check box. Many times, even when your hand strength dictates
a fold, the situation may not. A substantial part of a successful poker
game should involve stealing blinds and pots when the table shows
weakness. Additionally, be sure to only use the "fold" option when
appropriate. Never use the "check/fold" box.
If "because I said so" is not reason enough when it comes to avoiding the use of the auto-boxes, here are a few other reasons:
Using the "check" or "check/fold" boxes
You are revealing the weakness of your hand. Experienced players will quickly and easily pick up on these tells that you are giving off and they will use them against you.
For
example, let's say that I am in late position with 3 players to act
ahead of me. The flop comes down. Player 1 checks. Suddenly, players 2
and 3 check immediately. This means that they had the "check" or
"check/fold" box pre-selected. What that means to me is that their
hands are to weak to even consider any type of action. So now I know
that all I have to do here is let off a big bet (regardless of my hand
strength) and more often than not, they'll fold and I will steal the
pot. Avoid using the presets when you have a bad hand and you will
avoid broadcasting your weakness to the entire table.
Using the "call" boxYou are revealing the strength of your hand.
An automatic call typically reveals a strong hand. Especially when
playing No-Limit, it's not likely that a player is willing to call any
sized bet on a mediocre hand or a draw.
You are not protecting your hand.
Unless you flopped Quads or a Royal or something of the sort, your hand
is likely still vulnerable. If someone were to let off a tiny bet into
a large pot, your quick call may give pot odds for anyone else in the
hand to continue to chase even backdoor draws. Betting, raising, or
folding should always be considered before checking or calling.
Remember that aggressive poker is winning poker.
Using the "raise" box
Again, you are revealing the strength of your hand. While many players may raise a small to medium sized bet on a semi-bluff, it's not likely that a player is willing to raise
any sized bet without a very strong hand.
Again, you are not protecting your hand.
When you use the "raise" box, it will automatically let off a minimum
raise. Depending on the pot and bet sizes, this may not be enough to
punish those who are drawing by taking away their pot odds.
Instant
reactions at the poker table are tell-tale signs of hand
strength/weakness. If a player is facing a large bet with a garbage
hand, it takes no time flat to throw the hand away. Insta-check, calls,
and raises will also reveal information about your hand to your keen
opponents.
So as you avoid using the check-boxes, keep an eye
out for those who do, and use the information they reveal to move their
chipstack to your side of the table.