Check
To check is to pass the action to the next player without betting, which is only allowed when nobody has bet before you in that round.
Checking is not the same as giving up. It keeps your hand alive at no cost, and it lets you see what the opponent does before you decide, which is worth most when you are the player who acts last.
It also does not mean you are weak. Checking a strong hand to let an opponent bet is a normal line, and a range that only ever checks its worst hands is a range that is easy to bet against.
an example
your cards
board
You hold eight seven of hearts on a flop that missed you completely, and nobody has bet. Checking costs nothing and keeps the pot small with a hand that does not want to build one.
This example is made up. The real one is in your own hand history: find check in your own hands and see how often it came up and what it cost you.
related terms
Check-raise
A check-raise is checking when the action reaches you, then raising after a player behind you bets in the same betting r ...
Check behind
To check behind is to check in last position after your opponent has already checked, which ends the betting round and t ...
Fold
To fold is to give up your hand and any claim on the pot, which costs you nothing further and returns nothing you have a ...
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The full order of play, from the blinds to the showdown.