Checking multiple columns for one value

You can use the IN predicate, like so:

SELECT * FROM table WHERE 123 IN(col1, col2, col3, col4);

SQL Fiddle Demo

it’s the opposite version of IN.

No it is not, It is the same as using the ORs the way you did in your question.

To clarify this:

The predicate IN or set membership is defined as¹:

Where the Value Expression can be either ²:

So it is fine to do it this way, using the value expression 123, which is a literal.

^{1, 2: Images from: SQL Queries for Mere Mortals(R): A Hands-On Guide to Data Manipulation in SQL}