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To be a top poker player you need to look beyond the cards you’re dealt and into your opponent’s mind. Knowing what they’re thinking and how they’re going to react to your moves is crucial in defining a winning strategy.
While the essence of poker is the cards the dealer gives you, it’s often the case that a pot will be won before they are turned over. Because of this it’s vital that you devise ways to manipulate your opponents into doing what you want them to do.
The best way to take advantage is to bet into them. By constantly applying pressure you force your opponents to make mistakes they wouldn’t normally make. Indeed, the risk of losing money can often affect even the most hardened players, so it’s important to be as aggressive as you can when the action allows it.
Another way to take advantage of those around you at the poker table is to act weak. This is particularly pertinent when you’ve got a very strong hand and the players you’re facing are aggressive. Let them do the betting, lull them into a false sense of security and when the time is right pounce on them and take their chips.
Meta game is also a great way to act upon the old poker saying: play the player. Doing certain things will often portray you in a certain way to your opponents. Realising this then inverting that expectation can make you even tougher to play against. Indeed, if you’ve spent an hour playing extremely passively, then turn up the aggression on your unsuspecting opponents and watch them buckle.
Playing poker is as much about human psychology as it is mathematics and probability. Get to grips with this and your chances of making money are far greater.
Poker: Three-Betting with an Ace-Queen | WSOPE announces a 50 000 Euro High Roller | 2012 WSOP Hall of Fame
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