Poker Glossary
Poker glossary

Darken

To darken is to make a bet without looking at your cards.

The simple explanation

Darken means to bet without looking at your cards. In some forms of poker, it is required to bet without looking at your hand. The word is rare today, and you are most likely to meet it in historical rules.

A closer look

The term is related to dark bets and blind bets. The player acts without information about their own hand, so the decision cannot depend on card strength. Do not confuse it with a dark bet, in which the bet is announced before the next card is dealt.

A practical example

A player darkens his bet and pushes chips into the pot without looking at his cards.

Full explanation

To darken is to make a bet without looking at your cards.

To darken is to make a bet without looking at your cards. Some forms of poker require it, and it is also used as a gesture in casual play.

The player acts without information about their own hand, so the decision cannot depend on card strength.

It is related to dark bets, in which a player announces a bet before the next card, and to bet blind. The word is old and rare.

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