Checking and calling is not considered to be tight-aggressive poker play and it is not an advisable way to play winning poker. However, all poker terms have their place and for example, playing Omaha Hi’Lo the same way as you would play Texas Hold ‘em doesn’t work. Omaha poker demands that checking and calling should be used; in fact this is absolutely routine. 

An Omaha, post-flop play is decreed by the pot odds and players are generally pretty strict about their starting hands. Playing Omaha in an overly aggressive manner does not make for winning the game. Even the best players – pros and players with a lot of experience will call and check in Omaha and it is considered to be an optimal strategy.  

Pot odds in Omaha nearly always warrant a call and it is also a common practice when playing Seven Card Stud. Checking and calling is also advised in limit Texas Hold ‘em games when playing against overly aggressive players or what is commonly referred to as “maniacs”, however conditions do vary. So much depends on the quality of your opponents and the table image. 

Maniacs tend to bet indiscriminately, in essence they bluff their money away so why bet into them? Let your opponents do this for you and check to overly aggressive players, this may give you credit for a hand.  Check and call when you have a straight or a flush and a bet is not likely to win the pot. This may happen in a multi-way-pot when there are still more players to act behind you.

If the amount of money in the prize pot doesn’t justify a call but there are sufficient implied odds it may be justifiable to call, even when playing Texas Hold ‘em. You have to be sure that later betting rounds will win you money before you do this however.  

If you are playing against someone you have played against in the past and have managed to intimidate them to some degree, checking and calling may be justifiable. You can be pretty certain in some circumstances that a player will fold, and if you are out of position and can persuade your opponent you have a good hand; checking and calling on the flop may be a good play. Your call may be just the thing to make the other player reluctant to bet a second time. 

If you have a big hand and you know you need to slow-play the hand to raise the prize pot, calling and checking can come in handy. You want players in this game, and you want the pot to grow without giving away your position of strength. However there are two schools of thought on this and other poker theorists say that there is something debatable about playing slow big hands. Betting out with a strong hand is the opposite to calling and checking and check raising is advisable in low limit games against poor players when you have an uncertain hand.