It's no secret that professional piano players use techniques that amateur piano players don't. So what else is new? Professional golfers use techniques that amateur golfers don't use (at least not very well), and pro ball players use techniques that sandlot and weekend athletes don't use -- or again, not very well.

So it's not surprising that professional piano players have some tricks up their sleeves that the rest of us mortals don't have. But that doesn't mean we can't try to emulate the great pianists. We may not pull it off as well as them, but we sure can have a lot of fun trying, and who knows? Maybe a few of us can actually learn these techniques well enough to win some admiration from our friends, join a group, play for our own enjoyment, or whatever.

Here is a list of just a few of the technique the pros use when they play piano. There are more, of course, but this is a pretty good estimate of the most important skills:
Pro Secret 1: Straddles. Leaving one of more notes out of a chord to create an open feeling.
Pro Secret 2: 2/1 & 3/1 Breakups. Breaking a chord up by playing part of the chord & then the rest of the chord.
Pro Secret 3: Waterfall Chords. Broken chords cascading down from the top of the keyboard similar to a waterfall.
Pro Secret 4: Tremolo-Fired Runs. Rapid-fire runs made of chords, but starting with a tremolo.
Pro Secret 5: Half-Step Slides. Approaching the next chord from 1/2 step above or below.
Pro Secret 6: Suspensions. Using the 4th as a "hangover" instead of the 3rd.
Pro Secret 7: Chord Substitutions. Harmonizing songs using different chords than the traditional ones.
Pro Secret 8: Voicing in 4ths. Stacking chords in intervals of 4ths instead of 3rds.
Pro Secret 9: Turn-Arounds. A chord progression that turns you around, like a cul-de-sac.
Pro Secret 10: Introductions. Creating a front door for the song.
Pro Secret 11: Endings. Creating a back door for the song.
Pro Secret 12: Transposing. Playing a song in a key different than it was written in.
Pro Secret 13: Modulating. Getting from key to key smoothly.
Pro Secret 14: Altering a Melody to Create a New Melody. Using neighboring tones to craft a new tune.
Pro Secret 15: Inversions. Instead of always playing chords in root position, using a variety of "upside down" chords.
Pro Secret 16: Creating Original Chord Progressions. Linking chords together creatively.
Pro Secret 17: Echoes - Rhythmic, Melodic, Harmonic. The easiest way to begin the arranging process.
Pro Secret 18: Touch. The difference between a sledge hammer and a pillow.
Pro Secret 19: II7 to V7 Progression. One of the most common chord progressions.
Pro Secret 20: Latin-American Rhythms. Using various rhythm patterns such as Samba, Bossa Nova, Cha Cha, etc.
Pro Secret 21: Locked Hands Style. Playing the melody in both hands with a chord under the right hand melody.
Pro Secret 22: Jazz Styles. Lush, offset beats, comping, color tones, etc.
Pro Secret 23: Two-Handed Arps. The Flowing River Of Sound. Using broken chords in both hands at the same time.
Pro Secret 24: Parallelisms. Parts moving the same direction (such as 10ths, octaves, etc.)
Pro Secret 25: Ragtime Techniques. Barrel-house and early jazz styles.
Pro Secret 26: Polytonality & Superimposition. Playing in two keys at the same time, and playing two different chords at the same time.
Pro Secret 27: Delay-Catch-Up Technique. Falling behind the beat, then catching up.
Pro Secret 28: Slash Chords. Chords over a left-hand counter melody.
Pro Secret 29: Counter-Melodies. Creating a sub-tune that is complimentary to the main tune.
Pro Secret 30: Western Sounds. Wagon-wheel bass styles, etc.
Pro Secret 31: Gospel Sounds. "Get on that church" and "shouting" styles.
Pro Secret 32: 12 Bar Blues. The basis for thousands of songs in all styles.
Pro Secret 33: Passing Tones. Tones that "pass through" the current chord.
Pro Secret 34: Question-Answer Techniques. Repeating a previous musical phrase but in a new way.
Pro Secret 35: Far-Out Harmonies. Extended chords, altered chords.
Pro Secret 36: Syncopation. Playing between the beats.

There are other techniques the pros use, and new techniques are always being invented. But for a list of worthy goals for an aspiring piano player, this list will keep us busy for a long time.