How to learn WHEN to bet into a pot with air and everyone folds?

i see this time and time again.
someone w/position bets into a pot and everyone folds.

I try that.

$1/$2 no limit.
I'm on the button and missed the flop. it's checked to me.
I bet 1/2 pot and I get 1 or more callers. :(

fail! :(

How many players are there? Did you raise pre? Did you open the betting pre? What's your table image? What are the tendencies of the players in the hand with you? What's the current size of the pot?

Continuation bets are not always in order to make people fold. There are many reasons to make such a bet, and many reasons to check through the flop and see another card. It all depends. You can always try shipping the flop.

If you're in the blinds and the flop gets checked around you can usually pick up the pot if the turn pairs the board.

IMHO same thing happens to most people playing for $1/2 blinds. Losing a buck or two is nothing. Now if you're plying higher blinds, I can see tighter play. Maybe.

Quote: rudeboyoi

If you're in the blinds and the flop gets checked around you can usually pick up the pot if the turn pairs the board.

This is more effective in my experience too. Such a "way ahead/way behind" scenario there.

Quote: 100xOdds

i see this time and time again.
someone w/position bets into a pot and everyone folds.

I try that.

$1/$2 no limit.
I'm on the button and missed the flop. it's checked to me.
I bet 1/2 pot and I get 1 or more callers. :(

fail! :(

As others have said, position helps but there are a lot more factors involved. Were you the last pre-flop aggressor? If so, and the table is pretty tight, then yes a C-bet of 1/2 or 2/3 the pot will take it down if no one has anything good and if they check raise you then you know you're beaten if you miss the flop (in most cases, sometimes a check raise will be their return bluff since they know you may be C-betting with nothing and trying to counteract it). This only needs to work 33-40% of the time to be +EV in the long run anyway.

Also, the texture of the flop makes a huge difference. If the flop is very dry, IE 7-5-10 all different suits, that is a much better candidate since it's unlikely to have helped anyone else either vs. say 10-J of diamonds and Q of spades where people can be on open ended straight draws or flush draws if they haven't already came in with pocket 10s, Js or Qs and already hit a set.

Second to last, if you C-bet most of the time after the flop, people will pick up on that and they'll call just because they know more often than not the flop will miss you too. However, this is a good thing in the long run since you will be more likely to have people come along for the ride when you have a made hand, or better yet, a monster hand.

Lastly, call stations will almost always call. So far in my experience it seems like a -EV play to try to bluff out a call station since they don't like to fold. I prefer to check down the hand if I can or bet for value if I can't if I have nothing or a drawing hand.