Dark Tunnel Bluff

word type: poker slang

  1. The act of betting on multiple streets as a bluff based on the feeling that you have to bet, but doing so without thinking why the opponent is calling you down.

Example

Dark Tunnel Bluffs often start in blind stealing situations. One player will make a raise with a decent hand, get called by a villain, and proceed to hit air on the flop, turn and river. The player will continue to bet and will not bring themselves to stop even though their opponent has shown no indication that they are going to fold. This often is a result of rage-tilt.

Example

Let's say you're on the button with 8500 and blinds at 50/100. You get dealt 6h5h and when the action is folded to you, you decide to open to 300. The BB calls and the flop comes down As-Qs-Tc, and when your opponent checks you make a continuation-bet of 400. The player in the BB calls and the turn peels off the 9s. This is a spot where you do not want to double barrel, but players executing a dark tunnel bluff most certainly will. The reason you should simply concede the hand at this point is that it's extremely unlikely that your opponent does not have a decent piece of the board and therefore even less probable that they will fold to your bets at any point. Since you definitely can't win the hand at showdown, you should just cut your losses and fold.