Explanation of Dark Bet
A dark bet is a type of blind bet made without seeing which cards are dealt on the current street.
For example, a player cold-calls out of position preflop and announces his intention to donk-bet the flop before the dealer has dealt the flop cards.
Example of Dark Bet used in a sentence -> Betting in the dark seems like a good way to make a sub optimal decision – always look at the cards in play before betting.
How to Use Dark Bet as Part of Your Poker Strategy
Dark bets are a psychological tactic used to spook and intimidate opponents at the table.
Like other types of blind bet, dark bets are mathematically flawed. Why would we choose to make any decision before taking into account all of the information that we are entitled too? We can nearly always increase our expectation by waiting until we see which cards are dealt and making a logical decision based on how those cards favour each player’s range.
Similar to other types of blind bet such as the “straddle” it’s unlikely any perceived benefits outweigh the serious drawbacks of betting without information.
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