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  There are a ton of clich?s in this world. A lot of them sound something like this: "Don't fire till you see the whites of their eyes", "Keep your powder dry", and "Patience is a virtue". All of these speak to the benefit of holding your fire until the right time to act. In the case of poker this lesson can be applied to the act of betting and the practice of trying not to be the first person to bet.



  This sort of advice is meant for the basic player who is just starting out and not for the more advanced competitors who have learned this lesson by trial and error. The reality is that unless you have a truly impressive combination of cards, you don't want to be the first to bet. It is better to react to what is going on around you.



  The reason for this is that without a dominant hand, you want to see the next card as inexpensively as possible. If you are sitting in an early position and bet, somebody behind you with better cards (or perhaps a penchant for bluffing) may not only call your bet, but raise you. Now it is costing you two bets to see the next card while if you just let the better start the action, it would only have cost you one.



  This is the economic balancing act that most players have to deal with on a daily basis: staying in a hand as long as possible, as cheaply as possible in the hopes of making a hand that can win. It starts with knowing when to bet and when to hold your fire.