if your going to be pulling the head to check this you should get a new head gasket to re-install the head with.
Once they are installed and torqued down on, the sealing surfaces around the cylinders and the gasket in general are compressed. At this point the gasket is not reusable. Even if you did happen to get the gasket off in one piece it still has been compressed and will not seal correctly.

Just make sure you put the new one on correctly. :o)

check the rocker shaft as well and make sure that path is clear as well.