To bet or check, that is the question. Obviously it always depends on your circumstances when deciding if it’s better for you to bet or check. However, it’s important for you to remember information is power. In Texas Holdem, letting a player see the next up card for cheap or free can become a costly mistake. Checking will allow players with weaker hands to see more up cards and possibly hit something that will turn their hand into a winner. If you bet instead of checking, it will force the other players at the table to decide whether to stay in the hand. Many with weaker hands will fold. Tight players with marginal hands will also fold. This automatically eliminates the number of players in contention for the pot and increases your natural odds of winning without even looking at your cards.

For example, let’s say there are 5 players playing. You make a bet and 2 players fold, the rest call. You have automatically increased your odds of winning. Instead of a 1 in 5 chance of winning, it is now a 1 in 3 chance of winning, without ever looking at your cards. The difference over the period of several hours while playing a game can be enormous. It’s also much easier to get the remaining 2 players to fold than it would be to get 4 players to fold after the river card has been revealed.

By checking you are going to let everyone else at that table potentially see the next set of cards for free. Information is power! Never forget! Information is power! In the game of Texas Hold’em Poker, seeing the up cards is important information. So charge your competitors for that information.