Re: Checking in the dark
 

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I have never seen a player who uses the check in the dark move regularly be a consistent winner. I play 1-2 and 5-5 in NYC, so we might frequent the same cardroom.

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We probably do play together (or in the same rooms). I play on the Upper East and Upper West and recently started to play in midtown as well. Usually 1-2 but occassionally I venture into 5-5.

Interestingly, I began checking in the dark after seeing the bad players do it nearly every time they acted first. I think it gives me the image of a wilder player than I actually am. I certainly do not do it every time. It is just a tool in my box -- and apparently (to the folks in this forum) it makes me a tool as well.

On the rare occassion that I have raised after checking in the dark, it really shakes up the remaining players. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Re: Checking in the dark
 

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The only reason to think a player is a tool for checking in the dark is because he has made the game more difficult for you.

However, if I know for sure that I am not going to bet my hand because it will either be a check-raise or check-fold situation, no reason to show more than I have to.

Call me a tool -- maybe its the tools who can't deal with something a little different.

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Are you sure that's the ONLY reason? You can't think of any other reason that a player might consider you a tool for this "move"? If you couldn't think of any other reasons, that says enough. If you STILL can't think of any other reasons even after others like Angus have pointed out why it's a -EV move, then there's no reason to continue this discussion. You just keep making decisions without all the information that should be available to you...

So checking in the dark is somehow showing less than waiting to actually see the turn card? Declining to check in the dark is showing more than you have to?

By the way, as pointless as it may be, I didn't call you a tool. I said others would conclude that you were one, and I was borrowing the word from an earlier poster.

Re: Checking in the dark
 

There is a chapter on checking in the dark in David Sklansky's excelent book (which I have not fully read yet) Getting the Best of It.

I haven't read through this full thread, so if someone already mentions this then please excuse my incompitence.

TT [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]