Deceptive Plays
Predictability is one of every poker player's worst enemies.
If your opponents always can tell what your actions mean you
will find it hard to get maximum pay offs on your strong hands
and you will be easy to bully around when you show weakness.
There are several ways to avoid this scenario and they are
called deceptive plays. When you include these strategies
in your game it will be more difficult for the other players
to anticipate what cards you're holding.
Check-Raising
This strategy is used when you're in early or middle position with a strong hand, for example the highest possible pair (with a good kicker) or two pair. Instead of the usual bet you check hoping that one of the players behind you will enter the pot. If someone does, you make a raise. A well timed check-raise has many advantages. If a player in late position has tried to steel the pot through a bluff he will surely fold and you will collect the money. If you're up against drawing hands such as over cards and gut-shot straight draws they are likely to find calling your raise too expensive. Strong hands like flush draws and open-ended straight draws will probably call, but this doesn't mean your check-raise has been wasted. Now you know what you're up against and you have put severe pressure on the draws.
Semi-Bluffing
When you're holding nothing but have many outs to make a strong hand like a straight or a flush you might try a semi-bluff. This is especially true when you're in late position and the other players have shown weakness by checking. A bet in a situation like this may cause players holding middle or bottom pairs or low pocket pairs (hands that would beat your at the moment) to fold and give you the pot. Even if you're called you have a good chance of hitting your hand and winning. Your bet might also give you a free card on the turn if your opponents decide to check again.
Slowplaying
Slowplaying is a strategy that can pay off greatly but it can also be very risky and should be used with care and only under the right circumstances. The ideal situation to slowplay is when you flop a really strong hand and there are no apparent draws to beat you on the board. In these cases you might just check or call to lure your opponents to make further bets or raises in the upcoming betting rounds. But as mentioned, slowplaying is not to be used excessively. In big pots, or pots where many players are involved this strategy should be avoided. Remember that when you slowplay, you give away free cards to the other players. What you want is an opponent with the possibility of hitting a second-best hand. Otherwise, and especially if a free card can beat your hand, you shouldn't slowplay. If you slowplay and get beat it will be both very expensive and very frustrating.
Free cards
When you've flopped a drawing hand and are late position it might be a good time to bet or make a raise. This will give you initiative in the hand and the other players will probably check on the turn. If they do you can make another bet if you hit your draw, or check (and see the river for free) if you didn't. The risk you take with this play is that you might get re-raised when you bet on the flop. But in these cases you at least have gained information about your opponent's hand and you still have the chance to make your draw.