Check behind for value
Introduction
In this article
- The objective of a check behind
- The principles of checking behind
- Balancing or playing for value
The check behind is a play in No-Limit Hold'em that is often underestimated. It is usually seen as a sign of weakness or a fold. From time to time people might think it is a type of slowplay, but that's the end of it.
There are a lot of reasons for taking a closer look at the check behind. It's important to consider when, why and against who you should use it.
Check behind: when is it done in the game?
The first questions you should ask yourself are, when in the game and why does it make sense to check behind? There are obviously just two streets where it makes sense to check behind for value. As the name implies, it extracts value in some way or other during the hand. However, by checking behind on the river you'll be ending the hand.
Pre-flop there are just as few possibilities. And checking in the big blind does not count, because you should simply raise strong hands in that position.
So we're explicitly referring to the flop and turn, with the main focus on flop play.
You'll learn the expression "checking behind to induce a bluff", when it comes to a check behind on the turn. We'll also be looking at this move in the examples below.
The check behind on the flop, on the other hand, has perhaps not been given the attention it deserves until this article.
Check behind: why?
First of all, you should of course ask yourself, why check behind in the first place?
This is a good and important question, as you should always aim to find arguments in favour of a bet. A bet creates fold equity and can extract value, which is why the bet is always the first option.
You create fold equity against stronger hands, which makes the bet a bluff. You extract value from weaker hands or draws, which makes it a value bet.
Besides being a normal value bet, it often also acts as a protection bet. Protection from draws (that will pay you out) on the one hand, or protection from bluffs (the first to bet wins the pot) on the other.
Unfortunately, you will realise that many of these bets can't be categorised so simply. If you're asking yourself why, every time you bet, you'll often find you have no answer, or only a vague one.
You won't be able to justify your bet in certain spots and it is exactly in these situations that you should be wondering whether a check behind might be an interesting option.
Check behind and the four playing principles
So what does a check behind really mean? As you're not betting, the aforementioned concepts of value and fold equity are not an issue. For this reason, four basic principles should primarily stand out:
- Way ahead/way behind
- Pot control
- Slowplay
- Induce a bluff
Have a quick look at these four principles and ask yourself how they might be relevant in connection with a check behind. We'll give you three examples to clarify this.
You're in the game and don't have to necessarily protect your hand. There are not many outs that would improve neither your nor your opponent's hand. You'll either be ahead or behind, but it will be hard to assess which.
At the same time, you don't want to inflate the pot with a hand that looks marginal. It doesn't do any harm to keep the pot small, as your hand is simply too weak for a big pot.
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with Q
, T
3 folds, Hero raises to $4.00, 1 fold, BB calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) K
, Q
, 4
(2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $5.50, BB calls $5.50
Turn: ($19.50) 4 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero...
In this case you find yourself in a way ahead/way behind situation. Apart from JT, your opponent can't be holding a good draw. So you're either way ahead or way behind and protecting is less important.
If you place a bet now, would it be a value bet? What sort of worse hand would call you?
You have a strong hand, but don't want weaker hands to fold. You hope your opponent will improve his hand considerably on a later street, but only to an extent that keeps you ahead. You should, however, feel that you can extract more value in the following example than you could with a bet.
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with A , A
3 folds, Hero raises to $4.00, 1 fold, BB raises to $14.00, Hero calls $14.00
Flop: ($28.50) A, K, 5 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks
You've decided on using slowplay pre-flop and are sticking to that. Of course you could bet here, but you would stack a hand like AK/Ax/KK/55 anyway. What you're doing here is giving your opponent the chance to improve his hand. Another K would give AK, KQ and Kx a hand that would easily stack.
Addtionally, you'll be avoiding the risk of not getting paid off by such a hand. If your opponent checks, you can bet for value twice from the turn onwards, and in position, without having to bet more than the pot size.
Turn: ($28.50) 2 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $23.00, BB calls $23.00
River: ($74.50) 8 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $63.00 (All-in), BB calls $63.00
You believe that your opponent will probably turn a weak hand on the next street into a bluff, rather than making a loose call against a bet.
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with J , T
3 folds, Hero raises to $4.00, 1 fold, BB calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) J, 2, 2 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $5.50, BB calls $5.50
Turn: ($19.50) A (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks
River: ($19.50) 5 (2 players)
BB bets $8.00, Hero calls $8.00
In this case you wouldn't fire a second barrel on the turn to call a strong river bet. You want your opponent, who may not be holding anything, to interpret your check behind as weak, so that he bluffs profitably with any two cards on the river.
At preceisely this point you should ask yourself whether it's wise to bet on the turn. You should always ask yourself this on the turn, and take your opponent's behaviour into consideration when doing so.
Turn play: check behind to induce a bluff or bet/fold for a free showdown?
When checking behind on the turn, you have probably asked yourself the above question countless times, unless you decide to give up the hand or check in the hope of hitting an out.
Let's go back to Example 3 for a moment:
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100) (19/16/3.7/23) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS]
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with J , T
3 folds, Hero raises to $4.00, 1 fold, BB calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) J, 2, 2 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $5.50, BB calls $5.50
Turn: ($19.50) A (2 players)
BB checks, Hero...
You might think this opponent won't make a loose call on the turn, and often bluff on the river instead. You would therefore not protect against possible flush draws.
But what if you have a different opponent?
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100) (38/9/1.0/33) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS]
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with J , T
3 folds, Hero raises to $4.00, 1 fold, BB calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) J, 2, 2 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $5.50, BB calls $5.50
Turn: ($19.50) A (2 players)
BB checks, Hero...
The indicators are different here. The opponent can call with much worse hands on the turn; besides draws (odds and position will be of little interest to him) he could also call pocket pairs or other high cards. But you can't assume that this passive player will often bluff on the river. If he bets hard at that point, you won't be able to simply call it. That's why you're definitely better off using a bet on the turn for value, protection and a free showdown here.
Checking behind to induce a bluff:
- Your opponent must be aggressive
- He musn't make a loose call on the turn (otherwise you should place a value bet)
- He has a high river AF
- There shouldn't be many open draws
- Your hand is too weak to play bet/call for protection
Bet for free showdown:
- Your opponent often calls weaker hands
- Your opponent is more passive and you can rarely expect to see him bluff on the river
- You should fold to a high river bet (a bluff induce is not possible)
- Your hand is too weak to play bet/call
These are the things you have to often consider on the turn. As mentioned above, your main focus should be the flop play. This is what we will be looking at now.
Transferring the principles of turn play to flop play
In terms of basic principles on the flop, you can apply the thoughts to your decision, but remember both of these might have a catch:
- There are still two streets to go
- Draws have much better equity against you
This means you must be prepared to call two barrels if you want to use a bluff induce. Otherwise you'll have to hope your opponent checks twice on the streets to come, so that you can see the showdown for free.
The point on the flop, in contrast to play on the turn, is not necessarily to induce bluffs, but to get worse hands to bet for value.
Take a look at this example and compare the hand with the arguments mentioned above.
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100) (16/12/2.0/26) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS]
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with K , T
3 folds, Hero raises to $4.00, 1 fold, BB calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) 3, 3, K (2 players)
BB checks, Hero...
This is a pretty standard example. You hit a top pair. Your opponent is more of a tight player, so he may try a small bluff, rather than calling down loose. What should you do on the flop now?
The main problem with this spot is that not many players really ask themselves what the objective of a bet would be here.
The following applies first of all: "Always place a continuation bet on this kind of flop. The same applies here too, if you hit something."
Balancing is important in spots like this one, because they turn up very often. Even though your opponents don't pay attention to a lot of things, they will carefully look at your action on the flop. In this case, it is definitely true that a check behind could result in you not getting any credit in the next spot.
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100) (16/12/2.0/26) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS]
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with 5 , 6
3 folds, Hero raises to $4.00, 1 fold, BB calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) 7, 7, A (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $5.50, BB...
Your opponent might assume that the chances of you holding an ace in this spot are rare and will often bluff if the hand in Example 5 goes to the showdown. He might also think that you rarely bet top pairs. Balancing can be an issue in this situation. We will now take a closer look at this.
Balancing or playing for value?
The most important question relative to balancing is the following: Is it really necessary?
Who are you playing against? To what extent do your opponents pay attention to this play? Is deception (i.e. how you disguise your play) in this spot more important to you than a game which has a better expected value?
Players often place an unnecessarily big focus on deception, causing them to forget about playing a profit-oriented game.
Look at the following questions related to this:
- Are your opponents bad players (no balancing necessary)?
- Are your opponents capable of adapting?
- Are your opponents aggressive?
- Do you play against them often, so you can profit from your current play on another day, or do you play at a limit with high fluctuations?
The continuation bet
Despite everything, it becomes evident that the basic concept of your continuation bet, except balancing, is an endangered move. As a general rule you shouldn't just contibet as a bluff and always check behind with weak made hands.
To illustrate this, let's go back to Example 5:
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100) (16/12/2.0/26) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS]
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with K , T
3 folds, Hero raises to $4.00, 1 fold, BB calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) 3, 3, K (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks
Turn: ($8.50) 8 (2 players)
BB bets to $5.50, Hero...
You've decided to check behind on the flop. You've ignored balancing in doing so. Why?
First of all you can't give a clear definition of your bet here. It should be a value bet, but every time you bet for value you should be able to count a few worse hands that will pay you off.
It's a close call in this case. No draws are possible (so protection is not needed) and this opponent could have easily called pre-flop with hands like KQ/KJ, or even AK.
It's improbable that he will call down very loosely here, but your opponent might go for another option: the check-raise.
Now imagine your opponent check-raises on the flop. What does he want you to think? There are few hands that have beaten you. Of all the playing principles mentioned above, the way ahead/way behind principle should be foremost in your mind. Should your opponent overplay Kx here? Should he raise for value with 3x? Or simply bluff, as you can't just continue playing, even with your Kx?
How do you react? It is probably best if you fold at this stage, even though you can't explain his play. However, in plain language this means that bet/fold comes very close to being a bluff.
So what are the arguments in favour of a check behind?
- It is hard for you to hold out against a check-raise
- You don't need to protect
- There are hardly any worse hands that can call your bet
- The opponent won't make a loose call
- The opponent is more likely to make a light bet for value or bluff on the turn
Now you could assume that your opponent will play check/call at least once, also with a small pocket pair. And it's not wrong to make this assumption. But this brings us to another decisive point:
You can't bet a hand like this for value three times against the average opponent.
You could of course argue in favour of a bet on the flop. You would always contibet a flop like this, which is a good idea because maybe a worse hand calls. And then the following happens:
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100) (16/12/2.0/26) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS]
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with K , T
3 folds, Hero raises to $4.00, 1 fold, BB calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) 3, 3, K (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets to $5.50, BB calls $5.50
Turn: ($19.50) 8 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero...
What now? Although you have a pretty good hand, you can't be very happy with this call. Could you make another bet here? If you don't bet on this turn, why did you bet on the flop?
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100) (16/12/2.0/26) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS]
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with K , T
3 folds, Hero raises to $4.00, 1 fold, BB calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) 3, 3, K (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets to $5.50, BB calls $5.50
Turn: ($19.50) 8 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets to $13.00, BB calls $13.00
River: ($45.50) 7 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero...
You should breathe a sigh of relief that you've managed to get to the showdown against this opponent. Even a donkbet on the river would have been a nightmare for you. But now you have to ask yourself whether you might be able to bet for value here after all?
Many players who find themselves in a spot like this don't consider that they're actually not beating a great hand here, and that they could get KJ/KQ to fold by firing a third barrel before getting to the river. Suddenly they start thinking about bluff bets, even though they were betting for value before. It should be evident to you that this opponent will rarely call a third barrel with a worse hand in this spot. It is impossible to bet for value here.
If you agree with this statement, go back and look at the hand again. If it is impossible for you to bet for value three times because your hand is too weak for a big pot, but you don't really need to protect on the turn, why are you betting on the flop at all?
In this spot you're looking at a very polarised range on the river. Your opponent is showing strength, he check/calls twice out of position, even though he seems to be anything but a calling station.
And it's not a mistake to consider using a bluff bet in this spot. Your opponent will often hold KJ+ here and rarely small pocket pairs. But that makes your line inconsistent.
Now rewind and imagine you had played the hand differently.
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100) (16/12/2.0/26) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS]
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with K , T
3 folds, Hero raises to $4.00, 1 fold, BB calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) 3, 3, K (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks
Turn: ($8.50) 8 (2 players)
BB bets to $5.50, Hero calls $5.50
You've decided on the passive approach. You had the hand in the back of your mind and you were clear about not being able to fire three barrels against this opponent. So you open his range by letting him bet on the turn.
At precisely this point another decisive factor comes into play: you are earning money from the bluff bets, but also from value bets made by worse hands.
We will shed more light on this point later on. This is a borderline case, as the board is clearly coordinated and your opponent is not exactly a maniac. But a play of this kind makes all the more sense against these types of players.
Before looking at your opponent's range, you should finish the hand.
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100) (16/12/2.0/26) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS]
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with K , T
3 folds, Hero raises to $4.00, 1 fold, BB calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) 3, 3, K (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks
Turn: ($8.50) 8 (2 players)
BB bets to $5.50, Hero calls $5.50
River: ($19.50) 7 (2 players)
BB bets to $12.00, Hero calls $12.00
You arrive at the showdown with a good hand that is absolutely right for this pot size. You couldn't have got much more out of it.
You can give your opponent three main ranges now. Then you consider these ranges with a passive style on the one hand, and an aggressive style on the other.
The main ranges consist of: (1) made hands that will beat you, (2) weak made hands that you will beat and (3) bluffs...
- (1): AK/KQ/KJ/3x
- (2): QQ-44
- (3): 45s-JTs, AQ-/QJ-
The pot will remain about the same size against range (1). These hands will bet for value, but they will also call your bets.
You'll earn the most off range (3) here. This hand won't call your bet on the flop, but:
- Your opponent could check-raise it as a bluff. But you don't want to go broke, so you fold the better hand.
- Your opponent can bluff these hands on the turn and river.
Employing passive play makes most sense against this range and this opponent.
Range (2) is now a borderline case. This opponent doesn't have to 3bet QQ pre-flop, but after a check behind he could be way ahead. There is a possibility that he bets hands like JJ for value on the turn and river, as he believes you're holding a small pocket pair and that the king would make you uncertain on the flop.
Villain might not want to fold many of these hands, but will you lose value if you check behind on the flop?
Another important aspect comes into play here: a delayed continuation bet. This is a bet you don't place until the turn. It doesn't show as much strength as a bet on the flop. Anyone checking you twice may not really want to take the pot and you'll practically be forced to bet.
So you still have the possibility of betting on the turn and even get a light call from your opponent. As for whether you are giving away value in doing so, the answer should be obvious now because you can't/don't want to fire three barrels for value.
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100) (16/12/2.0/26) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS]
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with K , T
3 folds, Hero raises to $4.00, 1 fold, BB calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) 3, 3, K (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks
Turn: ($8.50) 8 (2 players)
BB checks,Hero bets to $5.50, BB calls $5.50
River: ($19.50) 7 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets to $12.00, BB calls $12.00
If you add up all these examples, you could arrive at the assumption that the expected value of this hand is highest when you check behind on the flop.
- Weaker hands can bluff from the turn onwards.
- Weaker hands can value bet light.
- You'll lose the least against strong hands.
- You can't be bluffed out of the hand.
- This bet on the turn might be called lighter than your bet on the flop.
Examples of the opponent's light value bets
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100) (25/20/4.1/24) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS]
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with A , J
3 folds, Hero raises to $4.00, 1 fold, BB calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) 3, 8, A (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks
Turn: ($8.50) 8 (2 players)
BB bets to $5.50, Hero...
You can be sure that your opponent is betting weaker hands for value in spots like these. Besides Ax hands, these might even be smaller pocket pairs. It may also be that your opponent simply wants to bluff.
So you can delay the big action until the river. The more aggressive your opponent is, the more sense this makes.
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100) (36/30/4.5/22) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS]
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with A , K
3 folds, Hero raises to $4.00, 1 fold, BB calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) 7, 7, A (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks
Turn: ($8.50) 3 (2 players)
BB bets to $5.50, Hero calls $5.50
River: ($19.50) 4 (2 players)
BB bets to $16.50, Hero raises to $45.00
If the board provides additional draws, you can start acting by already raising on the turn. This can also be done in a balanced fashion; take a look at the last section of this article to find out more on this.
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100)
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100) (36/30/4.5/22) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS]
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with A , K
3 folds, Hero raises to $4.00, 1 fold, BB calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) 7, 8, A (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks
Turn: ($8.50) 6 (2 players)
BB bets to $5.50, Hero raises to $18.00
These moves are not supposed to be standard lines, but you should always keep in mind that the expected value will increase if you allow weaker hands to make value bets.
Types of opponent
You should always pay close attention to your opponents, which is why a play of this kind isn't always the right thing to employ against every opponent.
As we illustrated in the examples above, the passive style is suitable against the more aggressive players.
You need to weigh up whether your opponent tends to bluff, place light value bets, or whether he is a player who likes calling down with worse hands without becoming active himself.
Consequently, players like calling stations (loose-passive) are not really what you're aiming for. You can usually assume that he'll call on the flop with much worse hands, but will rarely bluff a hand on the turn. And if you get a check-raise on the flop, you can be pretty sure that you'll bump into a strong hand. The problems that arise when you play against an aggressive player will not occur here.
Boards
It is not possible to draw up an overview of boards, so you have to pursue your own lines of thought.
We've named the facts, but what requirements must a board fulfill?
- Few draws
- Few worse hands that will pay off
- Typical way ahead/way behind board (neither you nor your opponent can have many outs)
- Few hands would realistically check-raise for value here
- You can't convince your opponents that you have many hands to value bet
We already mentioned the ideal board in the very first example:
KTo on K33r flop fulfills all of these requirements.
If the board were K33, a flush draw might be possible, but still very improbable. If the flop brings K34 you can start grumbling. It is a gradual transition and the question is how many plausible draws are possible.
KQT is definitely draw-heavy, whereas you don't have to protect K74 from 56. Estimating whether your opponent might be holding draws which you'd have to protect against here is a matter of experience.
While your hand is quite open in the first example, things look different with QQ on a 225. A similar thing applies here. Few draws are possible and it's mostly a way ahead/way behind spot, as you only have two outs against stronger hands and weaker hands have the same against you.
This principle takes a backstage role however, because many of the hands against which you are ahead will pay you off here (starting with 66-JJ). So always consider with how many hands you can call your opponent down.
The additional catch in the KTo example was that the opponent couldn't be holding many better hands. Whether or not he would raise (KJ+) is another matter. So it is not easy to just play bet/fold, as you often have the feeling that you're running into a bluff.
You should think about whether a check behind might be better in this case. This applies to paired boards (=> Yeti-Theorem), where a raise or a 3bet on the flop only implies a very narrow range or a bluff.
3bet pots
This play can be used in 3bet pots. It should in fact become standard not to contibet every flop. In a 3bet pot you have many differences, unlike in a normal raised pot, and they all speak in favour of a more passive play on the flop:
- You don't need to really practice balancing.
- You don't contibet on every flop.
- The pot is already big, so you can hardly avoid betting for value. You can go all-in on the river at the latest, if that is what you want to do.
- Light calls from your opponent are less likely, because he would often be committing himself with them.
- You'll see a check-raise in a 3bet pot more often if your opponent has a playable hand. He can hardly give himself implied odds with draws on the following streets, and so he usually has to decide whether to push or fold.
- Protection takes a back burner, as there are relatively less drawing hands in 3bet pots.
We'll give you a few examples of suitable opponents for this play and pose the question as to whether a check behind on the flop is wise.
Stacks & Stats
CO ($100) (16/12/2.0/26) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS]
Hero ($100)
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with A , A
2 folds, CO raises to $4.00, Hero raises to $12.00, 2 folds, CO calls $12.00
Flop: ($25.50) 3, 4, 9 (2 players) CO checks, Hero checks
Example 2 demonstrates that you can still get to go all-in up to the river; so you're not losing value. You'll usually be able to stack overpairs, but speculative hands might bluff on the turn. Many pairs will also bet for value on the turn, so for the purpose of value and protection. As you could check behind with AK/AQ/etc. afterall.
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100) (40/13/0.9/31) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS]
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with A , A
2 folds, CO raises to $4.00, Hero raises to $12.00, 2 folds, CO calls $12.00
Flop: ($25.50) 3, 4, 9 (2 players)
CO checks, Hero bets to $17.00
You should bet against this opponent. You can't assume that he'll place a light value bet on the turn, but he won't throw away middle pairs or a 9x either. You'll get value from worse hands much more often here, but an overcard to his range (K,Q, maybe J) might decrease his willingness to pay from the turn onwards if he's holding hands like 9x, TT, 88-. Calling stations are also not suitable opponents for passive play in a 3bet pot.
Stacks & Stats
UTG ($100)
MP ($100)
CO ($100) (30/19/3.2/25) [VPIP/PFR/AF/WTS]
Hero ($100)
SB ($100)
BB ($100)
Preflop: Hero is Button with A , K
2 folds, CO raises to $4.00, Hero raises to $12.00, 2 folds, CO calls $12.00
Flop: ($25.50) 3, 4, K (2 players)
CO checks, Hero checks
This example is a borderline case. A check behind will certainly not hurt that much, even if your opponent knows that you rarely check on the flop, only to fold. If you didn't have anything, it would be a wonderful flop to bluff bet on.
Tactfulness is required here. If you know that your opponent will rarely check-raise here, but is quite capable of making a light value bet on the turn, a check behind would also be a good thing to employ. He might interpret your check as weakness, as you would end up in a bad spot with, for example QQ-77.
Your opponent could try to either bluff you down, or bet for value himself with hands like KQ/QQ-. If you think your opponent might just do this, it's also a good idea to check behind.
Multiway pots
When it comes to multiway pots, matters look a little different. If you end up facing several hands, a way ahead/way behind spot is usually no longer a given. Many hands also have many outs against you.
A check-raise looks a lot stronger here, as the opponent has to make at least two opponents fold if he bluffs.
You must pay particular attention to your opponents here and evaluate your hand strength. You shouldn't fall back on checking behind with made hands not that often as you would do in a heads-up game.
Check behind on the flop/Raise on the turn as a bluff
To finish off we want to look at a move that is only indirectly related to a check behind on the flop. It is a type of balancing of the check behind, by raising the turn to directly win the hand. This is done not only with strong made hands that you raise for value, but also with bluffs.
This is not necessary. As we mentioned above, it would not make sense to partly neglect one's entire play (balancing, deception) in situations like these where you are aiming for a maximum expected value of the hand and trying to balance your turn play at the same time. If you don't want to pay attention to balancing on the flop, you don't need to on the turn either.
Stacks & Stats
Hero ($100)
BB ($100)
Pre-flop: Hero is Button with Q , T
3 folds, Hero raises to $4.00, 1 fold, BB calls $4.00
Flop: ($8.50) 4, 7, 3 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks
Turn: ($8.50) J (2 players)
BB bets to $5.00, Hero raises to $16.00, BB folds
What this shows is that by employing a bluff on the turn, you are making sure that your check behind on the flop can't be read in the long run. You'll remain unreadable and your opponents will therefore make more mistakes, which is profitable for you over a period of time.
Summary
Today you've learned that there is a good alternative to a default standard contibet. If you can't clearly categorise your bet as a bluff or value bet, you'll see more value by using the way ahead/way behind principle. If you think your opponent can't call your three barrels with a weaker hand and the board doesn't offer any draws, this alternative can always be taken into consideration.
It's important to know what you're doing and why you're doing it. Think about whether check behinds like these might be a useful tool in the future, in order to get weaker hands to make light value bets.
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