Don't Check the Nuts Beginning poker players can take a very important lesson from a hand I witnessed recently. I attended a charity event at my alma mater a few days ago. The purpose was to raise money for the alumni club. I had tons of fun visiting with some old friends. The event included food and drink, and there was a Monte Carlo gambling area set up to bring in some extra bucks. I did not go there to gamble heavily, as the games there very definitely have a negative expected value. The blackjack rules are rigged to favor the house (even more than Las Vegas rules), and the other games are even worse. All that said, I always plan on playing a few hands of blackjack, more for socializing with the other players and dealers (many of whom I would expect to know). To my surprise, they added Texas Holdem to the mix of games this year. This is not unexpected, given the popularity of the game, but it was new to me in this context. One of my friends thinks I'm a great poker player (I'm a little more humble, but I usually do well at his home games) and insisted I tear up the table. I tried to explain about the importance of luck in the short term, but he was not persuaded. I was curious about the format and the competition level involved, so I watched a few hands while I counted out some money to sit in. The first thing I noticed was the table – a blackjack table with an extra seat wedged in so eight could play. It was awkward, no doubt. The game structure was different, too. It was fixed-limit ($2/2) holdem, and there were no blinds. Each player put up a $1 ante preflop, and the house took $4 as the rake. The rest was the starting pot. The “small blind” position was first to act preflop, so the button got the positional advantage on every round, a slight adjustment to strategy. If nobody bets preflop, everyone sees a free flop. I figured there were a few disadvantages working against a good player: no increased betting on later rounds to price out draws, a high rake that would be hard to overcome with large pots, and a generally passive crowd that called a lot but rarely raised. I could expect to see a lot of gutshot straight draws, weak kickers, and backdoor flushes. I would never play this kind of poker game seriously, and promised myself to just play a few hands and move on. The hand that was being completed before I sat in blew my mind. The final card fell, and the board was JTxxQ with no suits and no pairs. The absolute best possible hand would be AK for the broadway straight. There had been a bet and calls on the flop and turn, and now three players remained in the hand. The player that was on my left had the button, and it was checked to him. He checked, then tabled AK for the nuts. I'll repeat that, because it's significant. This player was last to act, on the last card, with the absolute best possible hand given the board, nobody bet before him, and he checked. There are five reasons I can imagine for not betting here: It's a friendly game for tiny stakes. Not a very good reason, but this guy didn't seem to know anyone else at the table anyway. Even at the kitchen table, playing for matchsticks, against your grandmother, you still bet this. You know that one of the other players has the same hand and want to keep the rake down. Two problems: it's nearly impossible to read so accurately in Texas holdem, and you need a very specific read to pull this off. The rake was fixed in this charity game, so that was not a factor. I have seen it done (and done it) after a bet and a raise on the river in Omaha games (where it's much easier to have the nuts). Very few players are this good, and I'm not one of them. You're not either. You want to see what the others called the turn with. If you are sure they will fold to your river bet, but want to see their cards, you might check here. Again, two problems: they get to see your cards too, and unless you plan on being at this table for hours, it is unlikely you will be able to take advantage of it. In a $2 limit game, it is nearly impossible to take advantage. You don't know what you're doing. Based on my observations, this was the case here. For the player at the charity game, it's not a problem, because he may never play poker again in his life, but if you're reading this article, you are at least somewhat serious about poker. Learn the basics, at least. You aren't paying attention. This is somewhat understandable. We've all done it – watching TV at a casino game, or checking email when playing online. This is a leak though, and if you want to be your best, try to plug that leak. Playing too many tables can lead to missed bets too. I broke even after about ten hands thanks to a flopped straight that I got paid off on. I decided that too much of this game would hurt my own game, so it was time to call it a night. I have seen this type of play both live and online, and not only at low stakes. If you're doing it, change your attitude and your awareness. Try this strategy today on Carbon poker!

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