Let’s Talk
Those words, let’s talk, depending on the situation, can be very emotionally stimulating. And that’s exactly what we’re going to be talking about today: emotion.
There are certain experts out there who say that having no emotion and taking money at the table in a cold, calculating, robotic way is the way to play poker. And there are lot of players out there who have that persona and make money at it.
But online poker is a game of people as the great Doyle Brunson said, and I think as well that there is more to it than simply coolly taking money from the pot.
To truly understand poker online on a meta-level, you have to understand not only your own decisions, but the decisions of the other players. And these decisions are made for a reason, and you as an observer of these decisions, can’t understand why they’re made if you stay detached.
This is more a strategy for live games, but it comes from Mr. Mike Caro where he talks about installing himelf in the mind of another player. No not literally, but he says, put yourself in their chair, and look at their bet, and see if their mannerisms are matched up with their betsize, would you do the same with a strong hand? Or would you be doing that if you were bluffing. Look at yourself as your own opponent from their eyes. Why would they be doing that to you?
Start looking at hands this way and you’ll start solving puzzles, puzzles that are worth their weight in chips if you get the correct answer. So don’t fear emotion at the poker table, instead embrace it and embrace the emotions of other players so you get a feel for how they play.
And don’t forget, it’s also a good idea to have a hand history. Did they just get their AA cracked by a lesser hand that made two pair on the river? Remember this game is circular and linear at the same time, and in that sense it’s just one continuous session with small breaks in between.
