check in the dark??
 

My last few casino vists I have seen more and more people (many who have no clue) checking in the dark in tourneys and NL games.

Is this thanks to so much poker TV coverage?
Help me understand the strategy of when this would be appropriate?
How should I play my hand differently if this is done to me, if at all?
Thanks

Re: check in the dark??
 

The whole idea of checking in the dark is changing around the action. If you check without seeing a flop then you are going from first to act to last to act Sometimes good if your on a draw (confuses the opponents) or if you have a high pocket pair (draws them into a post flop bluff if the flop looks empty... Its a decent strategy to mix in with your game just to change it up a little

Re: check in the dark??
 

I generally do a check in the dark when I have an insanely strong hand (A's, K's mainly) which are unlikely to improve on the flop and I want to give the indication of a "wild gambling" player. I will often do it after I have called a big bet out of position and my plan when calling was to check/raise all-in on the flop regardless of the flop.

However, most people do it to look cool and I would play it against them as if they were any average donkey, except I would be more wary of the check/raise coming in.

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My last few casino vists I have seen more and more people (many who have no clue) checking in the dark in tourneys and NL games.

Is this thanks to so much poker TV coverage?
Help me understand the strategy of when this would be appropriate?
How should I play my hand differently if this is done to me, if at all?
Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: check in the dark??
 

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you are going from first to act to last to act

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umm...unless your opponent/s checks also in which case you forfeited your opportunity to act.

If it was really this simply to just get to 'act last' then everybody would do it all the time.

checking in the dark is GREAT...because it's fun to have opponents who do this.

Re: check in the dark??
 

Sorry if i wasnt clear when i said "first to act to last to act" i was referring to playing an aggressive opponent who fires out bets at ppl post flop. Checking in the dark therefore takes away your action so hes has less information to go by if you hit or missed the flop... And yes i agree i love playing against weak ppl who do it often for fun and to sound like they know what they are doing but i think its an effective strategy to work in every once in a while to mix things up...

To OP: You dont want to overuse it though unless your going for the image of a really weak passive player

Re: check in the dark??
 

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checking in the dark is GREAT...because it's fun to have opponents who do this.

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But "check in the dark" is nowhere near as good as "I'm all-in in the dark". LOVE to hear that after the turn is bet when I have a draw to a nut flush, say, or I have a set and have already put the other guy on a straight. Music to my ears.

Re: check in the dark??
 

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or I have a set and have already put the other guy on a straight. Music to my ears.

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You are happy to call an all-in knowing you are only 34% to win?

Re: check in the dark??
 

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or I have a set and have already put the other guy on a straight. Music to my ears.

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You are happy to call an all-in knowing you are only 34% to win?

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Nono... after the betting on the turn is done, the guy then proclaims as the dealer starts to burn/turn "I'm all-in in the dark". One can presume I figured I was getting the right odds on the turn to call whatever was bet. At this point, the other guy is committing all his chips to the pot, and I get to wait and see if the board pairs.

Re: check in the dark??
 

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or I have a set and have already put the other guy on a straight. Music to my ears.

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You are happy to call an all-in knowing you are only 34% to win?

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If the river is the dark-all-in, then you always win her stack when you improve, and you don't get leeched for more chips when behind.

Re: check in the dark??
 

In my experience, people who chronically check in the dark to the flop are total pussies who are afraid that if they check after having seen the flop, their opponents will read them as weak and push them off a drawing hand. They think that by checking in the dark, they are more likely to get a cheap turn.

Re: check in the dark??
 

ahh gotcha didnt see what you meant at first

Re: check in the dark??
 

I kinda agree with that but thats also the reasoning that gets people trapped when i pop a check-in-the-dark randomly.

The main problem ive had which i rarely run into was a situation where i tried to slowplay kings and the guy followed the flop with a check also to which he turned his inside strait draw from the free card that i donated to him while i sat on my overpair. Bet/Call. The King which hit the river also didnt help as i hit top trips and he completed his strait.

Re: check in the dark??
 

Read "Getting the Best of It" by DS where there is a whole chapter on this topic.

Re: check in the dark??
 

WTF,, I have never in my life checked in the dark, how lame is that?

Re: check in the dark??
 

I like to check through in the dark.. Checkraising in the dark is also cool.

Re: check in the dark??
 

I like to do it from the BB or SB when I have to randomly crappy cards but am in the hand. If I hit the flop I have a chance to check raise or throw what looks to be an obvious bluff on the turn (sometimes done with a dark bet) on people that like to think too much. I also like checking behind in the dark but thats normally only a move at a drunken table and I'm just having fun.

Re: check in the dark??
 

The only time I do this is when I am playing a tournament and someone is all-in and I and another player still have chips. I'll sometimes check in the dark so the other guy knows that I intend to check the hand down. Some of these people don't get it unless you make it abundantly obvious.

Re: check in the dark??
 

I have a friend who always checks in the dark. He's a fish. Fish of fishes. He once moved all-in in the dark. I hit my gutshot straight and stacked him and then berated him for it. He told me "I got lucky."

I never check in the dark. Why not just see the flop and look like a scared bitch with your KK or AA or random set when checking?

Re: check in the dark??
 

Phil Hellmuth does it all the time........

Re: check in the dark??
 

I think David Williams doing it at the final table of the 2004 WSOP (he had 55, Arieh had overcards I think, he checked in the dark, a 5 hit on the flop, Arieh made a bet, Williams moved all-in, Arieh called and had Williams covered) has inspired a lot of people to do it.