Checking in the Dark

My friend and novice poker player (known here in the blog as Happy Donkey) asked me about a week ago what the point was of "checking in the dark." He'd seen people do this at the table and wondered what their reasons might be. I tried to explain to him that people have different reasons for doing this, but it's a hard concept to grasp without examples. Last night, as Happy Donkey and I were playing in a rollicking $2/5 No Limit game at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, MS a perfect example arose of how to use a blind check to your advantage.

I was sitting in the BB with K 7 hearts and a new player to the table raised from middle position to $15. There were two callers after him and I called the additional $10 from the BB. The flop came down 7 - 5 - 7 rainbow. I checked and the original raiser bet $50. The other two players folded and I called the $50. At this point, I have to figure that he is going to be very suspicious of my flat call. There are very limited hands I could call him with that do not contain a 7, one of which would be if I was making a loose call with a straight draw. Because I wanted him to think that I was making a call with a draw and bet into me again on the turn if the draw did not come, I quickly checked in the dark after calling his bet on the flop. The turn came a deuce of diamonds bringing two diamonds to the board but not connecting with any draws I would have been on. My little charade worked and he bet into me again on the turn. Again I smooth called, but this time I did not blind check the river. I am planning on betting the river for value, but how much I can bet will be determined by the texture of the river card. The river came a 10 of diamonds and brought a runner-runner diamond flush. I decided to bet out $100 and intimate that I had made a diamond flush on the river. I believe that he thought I was bluffing with a busted straight draw and may have had only overcards when he called me. Of course because I won I did not ask to see the losing hand.

The point is that a blind check on the turn can often times help disguise your hand as people will almost always read a blind check for weakness and often as a drawing hand.

The games have been juicy here in Biloxi the last two nights so look for some good entries this week. Until then, may all your opponents cooperate in your devious plans.