bet in the dark is binding?

[plzbenice]

if u say that u will bet in the dark, is that binding?

same with if u say i will call if u bet, is that binding?

depends on the casino?


farhas and golds behaviour on HSP got me wondering where the line goes...

[TMTTR]

If you are first to act on the next betting round, a bet in the dark is typically binding.

I think the second one ("If you bet, I call") varies among poker rooms and specific situations.

[TxRedMan]

you have to be an idiot to call a bet in the dark, and imo you're an idiot if you bet in the dark in most instances, i draw the line at a dark check, which, sometimes has a purpose.

but in regards to your OP, if someone announces they're going to bet dark but doesn't place their bet before the flop is dealt, idk what the ruling would be if they then tried to check, i dont think it would matter that much since the minimum bet is often so trivial.

however, if someone bets dark and then someone else announces they're going to call, it's binding. action out of turn is binding.


but yes, there is a lot of discretion involved from casino to casino. never hurts to have a 1 minute convo w/ the floor about some situations.



-Tex

[Al_Capone_Junior]

Great, players are now "learning" from the two biggest jerks in poker. Do yourself a favor and quit watching tv. Don't follow the bad example of these two scumbags and you won't be worried about whether stupidity is binding.

Al

[pfapfap]

Please, continue watching TV. All these guys will be billionaires in a few years, not dead in a ditch! Really! Keep it up! Play like that against me, too!

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

stop tapping the glass [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

Betting in the dark, if you are first to act is a verbal action in turn and would be binding.

Saying "I call if you bet" is a verbal action out of turn and would not be binding.

[PwB]

Is it generally acceptable then, to so something that you know you shouldn't do, when you are just playing for fun at really low stakes live? I mean, killing time playing 3-6 LHE, is it a dickish maneuver to play a hand dark just for kicks? I'm just curious, because this happened a few times on Monday, and I didn't think I was out of line when I did it (admittedly, I was stacking about 120 $1 chips from the previous hand) but I don't want to be one of "those guys" in the card room.

[pfapfap]

There's nothing wrong with playing your hand dark in a cardroom, but if you're slumming it in a lower limit, you look like a real douche if you're flagrant about it. Best not to tell anybody you did that, just quietly pat yourself on the back.

[DougL]

You're playing roulette with a ruling on something like this. In a world with no published rule books, something borderline like this is going to be different floor person to floor person in the casino. I would be shocked to get a consistent ruling on this at most places.

Strategically, dark checking/betting may not be a bad play. If you play with a different group of people every session, I don't think dark checking/betting makes much sense. If you play with the same group of opponents often enough, even the bad players may have some idea of your tendencies. Tommy's posts are a lot better than anything I can say on the subject, but here are a few thoughts.

1) Against an aggressive opponent, you can check dark and be very sure that you can check raise if you have a hand. By letting him know it was dark, you can throw off his reads and may be able to influence further action. You may even be able to effectively have the button from the blind during flop betting, if you know the bet is coming from the correct seat.
2) Against a weak/passive table, a dark bet can put a lot of pressure on the people in early position. It may be irrational, but don’t make most of my money against rational opponents.
3) Against a thinking opponent, a dark check signals that you have a big A or exactly AK. You can pick your line from here. Do it with AK most of the time, do it without AK most of the time, etc. If he thinks the right amount to come up the read you want, I think it can be a money winner.

Again, against strangers there is a lot less point. If you play with a group of regulars, you might find a number of odd plays being added to your book.

Doug