There is little you can do at a poker table that is more important than the way you bet. Here are some betting Power Plays that can transform your results from average to superior overnight.
1. Almost never call pre-flop. The only time you can correctly call pre-flop is when the pot odds suggest that you should stay in a hand you would otherwise fold or when you have a legitimate slow playing hand. This can happen when you are in the small blind and most of the table has joined the pot but there has not been a raise. It can also happen late in the betting but you should have some type of hand and just about everyone at the table should be in the pot. In all other cases you should fold the hand if you don't think you can play it or raise if you think you can. I have seen lots of people win pots that should have been much larger by violating this rule. I have also seen more than a few people chase marginal hands and lose a great deal more than they should have lost. I have also seen a few people fold winning hands but that does not happen nearly often enough to make that a mistake. By the way, your choices in the big blind are slightly different. If you are in the big blind, you should raise if you have a good hand and check if there has not been a raise and you are not excited about your cards. Checking even though you are excited about your cards can be a Power Play if you want the table to believe you have nothing. If you use this strategy, you MUST play the next bet correctly. You will check after the flop regardless of what hits. If your hand is good after the flop, you should check raise.
2. If you are new to a table and are trying to gain information about your opponents, it may be a Power Play to call when you otherwise would fold. This also might make you check if you are betting in front of someone that is showing power. You must be cautious, however, that you do not invest too much of your money in this information gathering effort. It is even better, of course, if you discover someone else at the table who will call and let you get a look at the other player's cards.
3. Never check or bet in the dark. The risks are too high for the momentary benefit you may gain by confusing your opponents.
4. When you bet, let your chips do the talking. If you say the amount of your bet out loud, you run the risk of giving away information through the tone or other attributes of your voice.
5. If you feel enough confidence to try and trick your opponents, try this Power Play. When you are intending to fold, hold your cards in a way that makes it appear that you are going to throw them in. Every now and then, hold the cards in the same way when you intend to bet. This only works if someone in front of you bets thinking he can drive you out of the pot. If this is after the flop, you are best advised to connect it with a little acting. Hold the cards like you are going to throw them away but when it comes time to bet, take a second look at them (note that this is an appropriate exception to the rule about looking at your cards a second time) and call the opponents bet. If you are comfortable with it, you might even say something like, "Well I guess I'll see one more card." With the next card, the opponent will probably bet again. If you think you have the best hand, you should raise here and hope that the opponent feels like he is pot-committed.
