Dark checking the flop

mblax10 · #1 07-02-2006, 01:58 PM

I play live 10-20 to 20-40 and have recently added dark checking the flop to my repertoire when the following situation arrises. I'm in the blinds and will be first to act on the flop (obviously to check blind). The PFR will be last to act on the flop. Their are at least 2 others in the hand besides PFR & me (I will occasionally do this heads up vs. certain opponents if I think it'll give me a better chance to take down the pot).

I make this play planning to check raise when I catch a piece of the flop or think PFR missed. With good relative postion on the PFR, this leaves me a good chance of taking it down or going to the turn HU. An added benefit of the check blind than raise as opposed to a standard check-raise is that it confuses a lot of opponents. A lot of opponents have given me credit for much stronger hands than I really have when making this move.

Does anybody else use this move? What are your thoughts/experiences?

Haupt_234 · #2 07-02-2006, 02:20 PM

One thing you are giving up is when you flop a set or another strong hand and want to trap the other limpers between you and the PFR.

Haupt_234

SixForty · #3 07-02-2006, 02:30 PM

The only problem with this is that it can miss out on a lot of value when you flop a good hand or a monster draw.

For example, 5 people in, SB folded, you called from the BB with JhTh, flop is 9s8h2h. This a flop you'd really love to bet/3bet. And you miss out on the chance to do that.

Or you called with a small pocket pair and flop a set on a drawless board.

These are situations where you really don't want to be checking first in on the flop. You don't want to checkraise a late bet, cause you'll blast out everyone before they can donate that one bet to you. And you don't want to just check/call because you're not getting enough value from your really strong hands. Bet/3betting is just too good a proposition here to give up the chance to do it.

I think with most hands that you'd be calling a raise with from the blinds, there are a lot of flops you'll still want to be leading at.

Now, if it was heads up, against certain opponents, it occassionally might be good for metagame purposes. But I don't think I like it much multiway.