by Al Sousa (site owner)
Tournaments can't be won by math and analysis alone. There is
something else that is part of the game, psychology. One must
know his opponents,
their betting patterns, their tells, and their playing style. But
there is more to this than most think.
When in a hand: In any war, intelligence is key
to victory. You need a combination of luck and skill, so why give
the enemy any information. Unless you are a master of deception
and in total control of your behavior the best thing you can do
when in a hand is sit there like a rock, no emotion, no movement,
no answer to any question. This reveals nothing to your opponent
and in my opinion is ominous. In fact try to think about something
else, your kids, dinner, a movie you saw, anything but the hand
in question.
Your poker instincts comes from patterns you have seen before.
Your thoughts subconsciously add up all the things you have seen,
heard,
and analyzed to gain intuition to another player's thoughts. If
you give off none, or little, of these signs then your opponent's
instincts are less effective.
Betting: Be very aware how you bet. Make the
same movement and same actions everytime you bet. This means your
pattern
remains the same. If you find yourself using two hands throwing
in chips then always do that. If you use your right hand to quietly
bet, do that. Do not change the pattern. Same betting pattern means
same action and no tells. I suggest that a quiet betting pattern
is always best. It is more relaxed, calm, and threatening to opponents
when they see it. It also uses the least movement thus
revealing
less.
Thinking: Always take your time for every raise,
call, bet, or fold. Even when you know what you are going to do,
take your time. You never know if there is something you missed
or an impatient opponent who is about to give off a tell. I suggest
not playing with your chips and folding your hands together when
you think. The less motion you have the less tells.
When your opponent puts you to a decision: This
is the time to talk. Now is when you probe to gain information
from
your opponent. I even suggest talking when you are sure you have
the best hand. This is because most players view talking as weakness
and you might induce your opponent to bluff or bet a marginal hand
later in the round. Think about your questions to get an answer
or a reaction.
Be respectful, friendly, and polite: A good deed
is its own reward. In poker being a good person affects your mind.
Happiness creates good chemicals in your brain and a sense of peace,
negative emotions do the opposite. If you become the words above
you keep yourself in a calm state of mind to make correct decisions.
Blowing up only encourages negative behavior and escalates going
on tilt as does being rude to other players. Another important reason
stay in this frame of mind is your opponents. If they like you they
just might make a mistake in your favor. Seems impossible, not so.
Keeping this frame of mind also does one more thing, it keeps your
opponents predictable. If they see you being nice and not antagonizing
they tend to be nice to you, it earns respect. They are less prone
to get in the state of mind to "bust you" or "go
to war". My preference is passive, predictable opponents, not
unpredictable ones. Even players on tilt are capable of getting
a big hand and busting you. Barry Greenstein is a perfect example
of a player who uses the 3 words to perfection.
What does this all mean?: Keeping your pattern
the same means you don't have to think about it. It means you look
boring and unreadable during a hand. The less you have to think
about outside factors the more you can concentrate on the game and
the opponents. Once your pattern becomes a habit of the same thing
over and over your mind is free to process everything else in the
environment. Being the guy at the table everyone likes encourages
predictable behavior from opponents, keeps you in a good frame of
mind, prevents blow ups, and gains you respect. Do unto others as
you would want done to yourself. Every little advantage you get
on your opponents lowers the luck factor and increases the skill
factor. This means a better shot at the final table. It is that
simple.
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