Checking Your Way To The Win

The most beautiful thing in the game of poker is the check, when used wisely it can be as deadly as a full house.

Too many people only check when they have nothing in their hands and they really don’t use poker’s best feature to their advantage. Any good poker player can tell early on if you are one of these players and they will quickly raise you after you knock on the table.

When you have a good hand sometimes it is best to stand back and let your opponent make the first move, let them think that the ball is in their court and let them dribble to the basket. Eventually they will become extremely invested in the pot without realizing it and you can make a lot of money if you have the nuts.

On the other hand checking is a good way to see cards for free or cheap. I have won a lot of hands by seeing the river card for free and having a straight turn up on the table. Usually these pots are easy to bluff, no one will probably have anything better than a medium pair and a bluff will probably make them fold. You won’t win a big pot, but it will add up, plus you’re setting the tone at the table.

The only bad thing about checking in poker is when your opponent knows how to do it better than you and makes you the sucker.