Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

A lot of people think about making bets based on whether or not the bet is profitable. A better way is to think about if it's better or worse than checking. The point here is that checking is not a break-even move, and it can be very profitable in the right circumstances.

A good example is when you have a draw as the last person to act on the flop or turn. While it's true that betting can give you a profitable semi-bluff a lot of the time, checking is also going to be profitable because you're getting a free shot at catching an out and getting the pot and whatever other bets you can manage to pick up.

Another good example is when you have a top pair type hand, maybe without the strongest of kickers, you don't want to build a huge pot. Sometimes it's best to check the flop in these situations even if you think that you'd be a little ahead of your opponent's calling range.

If you're facing a really aggressive opponent, checking from out of position can get you more value than value betting with some hands because that opponent will put in a bet with a larger, weaker range if you check than if you bet and try to get him to call.