Stop and Go

1. A poker play in which one calls a raise out of position then initiates the betting on the next card.

When to Run a Stop and Go

There are a couple situations where running a Stop and Go can be a good strategy. One is if you get re-raised pre-flop by an aggressive opponent. If he has two big cards, the flop is unlikely to help him, and because you already raised pre-flop, he may decide to lay down his hand if you come out swinging after the flop. If he has a mid-to-small pair, overcards may scare him off. The other situation is if you are short-stacked in a tournament and get re-raised in a situation where you might frequently go over the top all-in. Rather than go all-in right away, when the opponent would likely call, wait until the next betting round. The opponent might still call, but if he missed the flop, he might just fold.

Stop and Go Example

Hero's chip stack: 4,000
Blinds: 200/400
Hero's hole cards: A-J offsuit

Pre-flop

Hero raises to 1,200
Big Stack re-raises to 2,400
Hero calls

Flop: Q-5-2

Hero goes all-in for 1,600
Big Stack folds