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Hi, friends! Today I would like to tell you about a play that I consider to be underutilized. It's my favorite strategy, which I call “checking with a chip.” This technique is used not very often, but when it does, it can be a great way to get to a showdown or gain a wealth of information very cheaply.

The idea is very simple. In no-limit hold'em, when the pot is medium or relatively big, many players prefer to check out of position than making a small bet on the river. However, to bet small (usually the minimum bet) is often more advantageous. As long as the pot is reasonably large relative to the size of the bet, the additional risk is minimal. Even still, this bet has several significant advantages:

1) Your opponent may fold to the minimum bet. Let's say you have a busted draw, but your opponent has a slightly bigger busted draw, getting him to fold for a minimum bet is a huge win.

2) Your opponent may also decide to flat call with a hand he would have bet for value if you had checked.  In this case, your min-bet will act as a blocking bet.

3) The opponent may decide your minimum bet shows weakness and bluff-raise. Against some players a tiny bet will elicit a bluff more often than a check will. If your opponent wants to bluff, give him such an opportunity.




Here’s an example of “checking with a chip:”

Imagine that we’re playing a $5-$10 NL table and you are dealt in the big blind. The opponent raises from the button - $40, and we decide to call, while everyone else folds.

The pot is now $85, and you two, each with 100 big blind stacks, look at the flop. After some deliberation, you decide to lead out for $60 and your opponent calls. The turn brings , and you add additional $205 to the pot. Your opponent calls once again.

appears on the river, and you find yourself in a very tricky situation. Your opponent can have any number of hands, and all of your standard options don’t sound very good. If you make a standard 2/3 pot bet, you may very well just be value betting yourself, as it’s a distinct possibility your opponent has a better hand than you.


 

If we decide to check the river, and he bets, then we'll have to guess whether he has a busted draw like K-10, 10-9, a flush draw or a top pair with a medium kicker. You may end up making the right decision by either calling or folding, but it certainly won’t be made with any great deal of confidence.

But what if you simply bet one chip ($10) on the river? Even if you get called by a hand like K-Q, then you only lost one big blind. If your opponent is weaker, then the big river bet will scare him off, unlike a smaller size bet that makes you $10 richer in most cases.


 

Given the lack of action on the previous streets, your opponent is unlikely to have a very strong hand. Very rarely do players slow play in spots when the board is so draw heavy. Thus, the top of his range is K-Q or Q-10. These two hands are very unlikely to raise the river for value, so you can be nearly certain that if you bet one chip on the river and get raised, it is because he has one of his busted draws. In that case you should beat him into the pot and call his river raise no matter what size he makes it.

Of course, some of you might oppose me and say that high-stakes regulars will easily value-raise here with K-Q. Yes, maybe, you are right, but I still am not sure there are too many people who will value raise a hand like K-Q in this spot. Even if an opponent plays like that, you may wait for a set or a top-pair and take away all his chips.


 

I have described a simple strategy that allows extract value and/or gain information. To be honest, I almost do not see any downsides of this play, unless you are facing some of the better players in the world.

Let’s sum up. The weaker hand is unlikely to call your big bet on the river, but will respond to min-bet. At the same time, we have a great chance to pick up a large pot by risking only 1 BB. For some players such small bet will be like a red flag, and they will raise (sometimes all in) with most of their range, with the exception of the hands you beat. That is the real beauty of this play: the pot only grows large when you want it to.