I was playing a small home poker game with one friend and a few strangers a while ago. I wasn’t getting any playable hands, so I folded often, watching the people that I didn’t know and trying to get a read on them. After a few rounds, I noticed that nobody was betting at all. Out of twenty hands, at least fourteen were checked through the river. As soon as I noticed this, all of my marginal hands seemed a lot more playable.

If you’re at a table where no one seems to feel like betting, feel free to start stealing some blinds. Watch the poker betting patterns, and if people are always checking, put a feeler bet out there, maybe triple or four times the big blind, just to see if anyone wants to play.

Also, if they’re checking around and you’ve got a middle pair or even a draw, take a chance and put a sizeable bet on the table. Most likely everyone is waiting around to draw a hand and they’ll just fold to you.

I started to make calculated bluffs and throw my weight around the table, and before I knew it, I had a hefty poker chip lead. If there isn’t enough action at your table, make some waves and gather up some blind-they add up pretty quickly.