Before I explain to you what does check mean in poker, you have to ask yourself first what check is. In short, check is the loose betting strategy in poker wherein the player bets after he has seen that his opponents have all committed the same number or series of bluffs (in a round of poker). Check is a defensive strategy. A lot of poker experts say that the best time to play this strategy is when your opponents are all bluffing, holding their cards, raising and re-raising from the flop. When this kind of scenario takes place, then the odds are in your favor as you can triple your money by simply folding weak hands.
So now that we already know: what does check mean in poker, let us move on to the details of how to bluff your way to a win in this game. The first thing to remember in playing this game is the general rule of being very careful about your actions. What does check mean in poker basically means that if a player bets with his raised hand but later on gets checked and bets with his seven-card hand, he has already checked himself and is no longer a threat. If you check and later on get beaten on the flop, it does not really matter because you were bluffing. However, if you continue to play that way and fold later on, you are doing so with the knowledge that later on you will have a tough time if you are faced with a similar situation again because you have already been checked.
Another important factor: of what does check mean in poker is knowing your own limitations and psychological fears. When you are on the river and have runners in front of you, sometimes you may feel like throwing your money away because there is a very high chance that your opponent has a premium hand. This is called being conservative. When you play this game, you have to be disciplined enough to fold even if you think that you have the strongest hand. You should also not be too aggressive and call your opponent’s bets because sometimes it works against you too. You have to be balanced in your play.
One of the most important factors: that people tend to forget in what does check mean in poker is how a hand compares to the other two in the same position. In short, your opponent’s hand is compared to yours in position because it has raised and re-raised you. What does check mean in poker is that if a player has a better hand than yours, it is safe to call because there is a higher chance of you winning the pot. However, when a player has weaker hands than yours, you are at a strong advantage because you have been called. Your opponent is at a disadvantage because he has spent his money for nothing.
The rule in what does check mean in poker is not as simple when the pot is small: When there are two players left in a pot, the best thing that you can do is to call, regardless of whether you have the best hand or not. This will make both players fold their raise, and it will leave the pot intact. What does check mean in this situation is that there are still opponents left in the pot, and you do not have the highest hand anymore. If you want to stay in the game and call, you should do so even with weak cards because you have already increased your chances of winning.
Another factor that you have to consider is your own position: Sometimes what does check mean in poker is that you do not have an effective hand against your opponents. If you are in late position in a poker game and you are holding a great hand, your opponents might be scared of it. So in this situation, you might want to wait a few seconds before calling because your opponents might be checking to you.
Wait for your opponents to make a decision on their own instead of waiting for you to make the same decision.