Checking is a betting action where the player chooses to not bet or raise when offered an opportunity to do so in a betting round. A synonym for check is pass. In nearly all cases, during a betting round on a poker hand, a player may choose to check instead of bet, if there is currently no bet before them. Poker check means when the action passes from you to the person sitting on your left without a wager being made. This occurs only when no one in the current street has made a bet. While it can only be achieved in certain circumstances, poker testing is a significant and secure step to make.

1. To bet nothing while remaining in the hand.
2. The act of betting nothing while remaining in the hand. (noun)
3. A poker chip.

Popular Uses

I completely missed the flop, but everybody checked to me, so I raised, figuring everybody was weak. -Unknown

Check Vs Call Poker

You Should Also Know...

While checking is allowed when nobody has bet in the current round, as soon as someone fires any chips into the pot, the option to check goes out the window. We now must call, raise, or fold. We can only see the next card (or showdown, if we are at the river) for free if everyone else remaining in the hand allows us to do so. As such, in a game with blinds, such as Texas hold'em or Omaha, nobody except the big blind is permitted to check pre-flop because the blinds are still bets, even though they are involuntary.

Related Terms

Poker What Is Check Card

Fold, Bet, Raise, Call, Check-Raise