The slap-a-clown is one of my favorite no limit poker plays. I didn’t actually invent it, so I guess I technically shouldn’t even be naming it. It doesn’t really have a name, but people use it all the time. That’s sad because this is one of the best moves in poker. I love its name, I love the pot control it allows and I love all the money it wins.

This is the move where you hit a decent hand on the flop, bet the flop with it, check the turn and then bet the river again. That’s it! It’s so simple yet so devious that it works all the time.

It works the best if you raised preflop and are against a single opponent. The slap-a-clown works the best here because it looks so darned bluffy. To your opponents it looks like you tried to steal preflop, threw out a continuation bet on the flop, gave up on the turn and then took one last stab at the pot on the river.

And that is why it’s called the slap-a-clown – clowns just love to try and snap off bluffs like this all day long. Well, if they try it on you they get slapped!

One of the best times to use the slap-a-clown is with big hands that want action but probably won’t get called on all three streets thanks to a timid opponent or a tight table image. You can still get two streets worth of betting in while at the same time giving the clown a chance to improve to a second best hand that might just break him.

The slap-a-clown also works well with medium strength hands because it allows you to control the size of the pot. It does so by skipping the turn bet and therefore keeping the pot at a manageable size. If you instead bet on the flop, turn and river, it builds a bigger pot and it takes a stronger hand to call you. A bet on the turn scares away weaker hands because it suggests an even bigger bet is coming on the river. The bluffy nature of the slap-a-clown line will get calls from a wider range of hands.

If your opponent does happen to have a very strong hand, the slap-a-clown move will save you some money by skipping the turn bet. If the opponent makes a big bet or raise on the river, you can get away cheaply because the pot was never built to a massive size. On top of that, the turn check will make that opponent think your hand is weak, so he may play his hand weaker, hoping to get action from you. Instead of him setting up a big river checkraise or large bet, he’ll just bet a little bit to entice a call out of you.

See how much pot control this move gives you? It’s an amazing tool and should be a part of every poker player’s arsenal.

One word of warning though: Don’t use this move against fish or notorious chasers. Those players will call all three streets and pay you off with weaker hands. If it’s a chaser he’ll call the flop and turn but only call the river if he hits his draw. Don’t give the chasers free cards because then you’ll lose bets on both the turn and river.

Don’t use this line as a bluff either. It looks very fishy and will get called way too often for it to be profitable as a bluff. Even experienced players will have a hard time laying down hands to the slap-a-clown, so don’t bluff with it.

And last, don’t use this line exclusively. Against certain opponents and in certain situations, you will get more value by betting all three streets. It’s up to you to pick when to use the slap-a-clown and when to just bet all three streets. It depends on the strength of your hand and the calling range of the opponent in question.

So now you know the secret weapon that is the “slap-a-clown.” It works well because it looks so bluffy and gives opponents a chance to make a second best hand. Don’t use it against fish, don’t use it against chasers and don’t use it as a bluff. Enjoy.