A compound bow or crossbow employs bowstring cams with bowstring cam grooves and power cord cam grooves. Preferably a pair of generally identical power cord cam grooves are positioned axially above and below the bowstring cam groove. The power cords are anchored to a fixed anchor point, e.g., a pylon, on the near end of the riser or on the near side of the crossbow bar or stock. The power cords do not cross over to the other limb. The reduction in the number of cam wheels and pulleys and in the number of strings or cords results in greater efficiency and higher transfer of energy from the bow to the arrow or bolt. There is no drop-off in pull weight at full draw. The bolt or arrow accelerates throughout the travel of the bowstring, resulting in significantly higher velocity.