Poker is a brilliant blend of strategy and psychology — there is really nothing else like it. When compared with strategy, however, how important is psychology in poker? Well, you can beat poker without understanding psychology, but you can’t beat poker without understanding strategy. Therefore, it’s important to learn the fundamentals first. But wait! Now we’re going to say something that — at first — seems to be contradictory:Psychology can account for the majority of profit you will ever make in poker!
That statement is true because after you master the fundamentals of poker, you’re most of the way to becoming a good player as far as strategy goes. Sure, you can improve, but the difference between excellent strategy and perfect strategy won’t put that much extra cash in your wallet or purse — unless you happen to be playing against all world-class opponents, which we don’t recommend. What will put extra cash in your wallet or purse is getting inside your opponents‘ heads and making them call you when you have the best hand.
You find out about one extremely powerful aspect of poker psychology called tells. What’s that? Tells are telltale signs from which you can determine, for example, whether or not your opponent is bluffing — just by noting her mannerisms at the moment. Watch your opponent’s body language and listen for verbal clues, and you’ll often know with surprising accuracy what cards your opponent is holding.
Tells come in two types:
- Those from opponents who are unaware that they are providing the tell
- Those from “actors” who know they are providing the tell and are doing so in an attempt to deceive you
So, first, you need to decide if your opponent is acting. If so, determine what that opponent is trying to get you to do and then you (usually) do the opposite.
Your opponents act because poker puts them in an unfamiliar arena. They know that they must act to conceal their hands, but they don’t know how to go about it. Therefore, most weak and intermediate players just about give you their money by usually acting the opposite of the true strength of their hands. When they’re strong, they pretend to be weak; when they’re weak, they act as if they are strong.
No need for you to go to acting school to find out about revealing cues. Get into your opponent’s head by taking a look at our list of the top ten tells.
Shaking Hand
Hands that shake is not an act. There’s a homespun theory that goes with this one. The theory says that if you see someone suddenly start trembling when making a wager, that’s a signal that this bettor is nervous about the bet and is probably bluffing.
That theory is just plain backwards. If ever a tell were almost 100 percent reliable, it’s this one. Few players act in an effort to show nervousness, and genuine shaking is hard to fake. What most likely is happening is this: Your opponent has made a very strong hand. The hand is, in fact, unbeatable or almost unbeatable. What you’re seeing is a release of tension following the suspense of waiting to see what will happen.
Some players are always nervous; they will shake whether or not they’ve made a big hand. The tell that I’m talking about is sudden shaking. I’m talking about a player who was previously steady but is just now starting to shake. This behavior is especially suspicious if the player seems to be trying to control the shaking, but can’t.
This sudden shaking isn’t a bluff, because players who bluff tend to bolster themselves. They force themselves to be unnaturally steady, and they hardly move. They tend to realize instinctively that anything they do might look suspicious to an opponent and trigger what we term the calling reflex.
The calling reflex is built into most players who have come to the poker table for the excitement of seeing a showdown and have a bias toward calling and against folding. They are looking for any excuses whatsoever to call a bet, and most bluffers instinctively realize this and do nothing to trigger that calling reflex. So, expect bluffers to be rock steady and seldom animated. Expect that sudden trembling is not an act, but an involuntary release of energy after a good hand is made. Unless you have an extremely strong hand, don’t call.
Jittering
Jittering and fidgeting is usually not an act. Players can be impatient. Sometimes, you’ll see a player drumming fingers rhythmically on the table. Now, he bets. The drumming of fingers continues. You reach toward your chips. The drumming stops!
What does this mean? It usually means the bettor is weak or bluffing and doesn’t want the call. A player who really has a big hand will usually continue to be relaxed in the face of a pending call. When we have a close decision about calling or folding, we often use the technique of seeming to reach toward our chips to see what a jitterer’s reaction will be. Whether it’s drumming of fingers or fidgeting beneath the table, if that action stops abruptly, we call, believing the likelihood of a bluff is high. If it doesn’t stop, we fold.
Shrugs and Sad Voices
Shrugs and sad voices are acts. Whenever a player shrugs, sighs, and says, “I bet” in an exasperated tone of voice, you need a big hand to call. This player is going way out of his way to convey sadness.
So, let us ask you a question: Why is he doing that? If he really had a weak hand or was bluffing, would he go out of his way to let you know it? Of course not! He’s acting sad because he hopes that will make you think his hand is weak. But, remember, weak really means strong when they’re acting. Shrugs and sad voices are key indications of strong hands.
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