Tales of Darkness

If nothing else, dark-bet stories made for odd reading, with the order of things all goofed up. Here's my favorite so far, from $30/60 at Bellagio.


I raise UTG with AK suited. Button calls, SB folds, BB calls. Threeway. Big blind checks the flop in the dark. I bet. The flop comes 7-6-4 twotone. The button calls and the big blind folds. Headsup.


I bet the turn. The turn is a four.


(See what I mean?)


(Here comes the really wacky part.)


The button calls the turn. I check the river. The button bets the river. I call. Now the river is dealt, a jack. He shakes his head a little and I turn my hand over and ace-high is good.


I was distracted in a funny way during this hand because of something from the S&M seminar. Someone asked S&M what to put opponents on when they dark-bet on the flop. Mason came up with AK suited. I wouldn't have though of that, but I think he's right. That's a good, usable, general guess to put the dark-betting opponent on from the start, and then go from there. So there I was with AK suited, betting in the dark, just like Mason said I'd have! Good read, Mason!


Tommy

I have a couple dark bet stories to add.


$10/$20 Hold'em


I open raise on the button in the dark. SB calls, BB calls. I peek and find AhAs. Yahoo! The dealer put some cards in the middle of the table, we all put some chips into the pot, and my hand was good.


Later that same night: Folded to me on the button, the SB player exclaims, "we chop!" he feels this is his duty to let the button know to fold anything but premium hands. OK. I am here to play poker and the $15 blinds are worth it to me! I open raise in the dark.


SB calls a little miffed, he really wanted to chop, bb folds. SB says, "CHECK. Im going to check raise you!".


I say OK and dark bet the flop, the dealer lays out the flop, Q-3-Q. SB thinks and folds.

But have you ever checked your option in the Big blind and then bet the flop in the dark? That generally confuses people (and its the only dark betting I do)