When you're in the small blind, you can minimize your vulnerability from having to act first and
actually put incredible pressure on your opponent by checking in the dark. It's not a play you
want to make all the time, but when you're in a serious pot, you can use it to counteract your
opponents aggression and neutralize their position advantage. Let me show you an example
from a recent game I was in.
Mid to Late tournament, I'm the big stack in the small blind. Sittin' on QhJd, I get my dream
flop, 8c, 9c, 10h. I lead out a decent bet. Nothing big, I don't want to scare anyone away. A
strong conservative player in the big blind makes a huge raise and everyone folds to me. I'm
certainly not going to fold, but I hate raising all in with 2 clubs on the board and a conservative
player posturing a huge hand. I feel any bet will get called and although I have the best hand
right now, I know he has something big. So I call him and immediately check in the dark before
the Turn comes down. There are two things I want to avoid, showing weakness on the Turn
with a check (thereby inducing an auto-bet from him) and betting into what is obviously a big
hand.
I assume my opponent has clubs, two pair or trips. So there are two things I need to avoid,
another club or the board pairing. If they don't hit, I have the nuts, if they do hit, I could be
dead in the water. Remember though, my opponent could be worried also. He knows I called a
big flop bet, so I must have something. If he has a straight or top pair/best kicker, then he is
worrying about all the same cards that I am, but by checking in the dark, now he must decide
what to do without any information from me. Say a club hits and it's my action. I could bet out
and possibly run right into a monster or I could check and thereby ensuring a bet from him.
Then what would I do?
If a nightmare card hits the board, my straight would have been destroyed. I don't want to be
forced to make that decision from a position of weakness. So I check before the card comes
down. Now, if a club hits and he bets out strong, I can walk away from the hand. If he didn't
have the clubs, he sure doesn't want to bet into my flush (since I must have called him with
something!). If a scare card for him hits, he will probably check it back to me. If a blank comes
up, he will probably bet again. Which in this case, the 2d hits the board and he did bet out big.
I can probably raise here, but I still feel like he will call anything and I don't want to get my
straight cracked on the River. So I call him and immediately check in the dark again. A
nightmare card falls. The 8h shows its ugly face. If he had trips (which was my gut feeling),
then he just got his boat. Normally, I would be put to the test. I would be terrified to bet out, so
I would have checked. Then my opponent would have bet again for sure and I would not be
able to call him, but by checking, he had to make the decision. The pair scared him to death
also since he put me on two pair or trips. He thought about it awhile and then checked it back
to me. I showed the winning hand and he folded a smaller straight. I left him with about 25% of
his stack which I could have gotten out of him, but I got 75% of his stack with minimal risk.
Without checking in the dark, I would have lost control of the hand and he would have scooped
my pot. In addition, it rattled him sufficiently that he was no longer a threat to me or anyone
else and within an hour was shown the rail.
actually put incredible pressure on your opponent by checking in the dark. It's not a play you
want to make all the time, but when you're in a serious pot, you can use it to counteract your
opponents aggression and neutralize their position advantage. Let me show you an example
from a recent game I was in.
Mid to Late tournament, I'm the big stack in the small blind. Sittin' on QhJd, I get my dream
flop, 8c, 9c, 10h. I lead out a decent bet. Nothing big, I don't want to scare anyone away. A
strong conservative player in the big blind makes a huge raise and everyone folds to me. I'm
certainly not going to fold, but I hate raising all in with 2 clubs on the board and a conservative
player posturing a huge hand. I feel any bet will get called and although I have the best hand
right now, I know he has something big. So I call him and immediately check in the dark before
the Turn comes down. There are two things I want to avoid, showing weakness on the Turn
with a check (thereby inducing an auto-bet from him) and betting into what is obviously a big
hand.
I assume my opponent has clubs, two pair or trips. So there are two things I need to avoid,
another club or the board pairing. If they don't hit, I have the nuts, if they do hit, I could be
dead in the water. Remember though, my opponent could be worried also. He knows I called a
big flop bet, so I must have something. If he has a straight or top pair/best kicker, then he is
worrying about all the same cards that I am, but by checking in the dark, now he must decide
what to do without any information from me. Say a club hits and it's my action. I could bet out
and possibly run right into a monster or I could check and thereby ensuring a bet from him.
Then what would I do?
If a nightmare card hits the board, my straight would have been destroyed. I don't want to be
forced to make that decision from a position of weakness. So I check before the card comes
down. Now, if a club hits and he bets out strong, I can walk away from the hand. If he didn't
have the clubs, he sure doesn't want to bet into my flush (since I must have called him with
something!). If a scare card for him hits, he will probably check it back to me. If a blank comes
up, he will probably bet again. Which in this case, the 2d hits the board and he did bet out big.
I can probably raise here, but I still feel like he will call anything and I don't want to get my
straight cracked on the River. So I call him and immediately check in the dark again. A
nightmare card falls. The 8h shows its ugly face. If he had trips (which was my gut feeling),
then he just got his boat. Normally, I would be put to the test. I would be terrified to bet out, so
I would have checked. Then my opponent would have bet again for sure and I would not be
able to call him, but by checking, he had to make the decision. The pair scared him to death
also since he put me on two pair or trips. He thought about it awhile and then checked it back
to me. I showed the winning hand and he folded a smaller straight. I left him with about 25% of
his stack which I could have gotten out of him, but I got 75% of his stack with minimal risk.
Without checking in the dark, I would have lost control of the hand and he would have scooped
my pot. In addition, it rattled him sufficiently that he was no longer a threat to me or anyone
else and within an hour was shown the rail.
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The Aggressive 'Check in the Dark' in Holdem
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"Know how to win BEFORE you sit down. Experience may be the best teacher, but it's also the most expensive." - Doyle Brunson, Poker Wisdom of a Champion, 2003.
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What is a 'Check in the Dark' in No Limit Holdem?
Put the beatdown on them!
After the flop, turn or river, the small blind will bet first. The small blind (or any player that will
act first) can check in the dark before the card(s) come down. The move is binding, once you
check , regardless of the cards that hit the board, you have already checked.
act first) can check in the dark before the card(s) come down. The move is binding, once you
check , regardless of the cards that hit the board, you have already checked.