Pkr.com – Psychology and Poker
www.pkr.com - As well as understanding the mathematical aspects of poker, it is important to understand the psychological impacts situations in the game can have, and to react accordingly. As well as realising this in terms of your opponents, you have to deal with your own moments of elation, frustration, and despair in the game too. Personally, I try as much as possible to detach myself from the emotion involved in a hand.
There is always a series of facts about your given situation to draw upon in order to find the best path forward, and you must stoically do so, without giving way to how you feel emotionally. In terms of your opponents, you can show them hands sometimes to demonstrate the way you are playing, and then alter it, or you can bluff someone off a hand, and then not show them, when they clearly hope you will show what you had. The key point is that your opponents should at any given time, be either thinking the wrong thing about the way you play, or being very uncertain about how will play and primarily what you might have.
I feel you should take grat care to do this, preferably making unorthodox plays that do not cost you many chips, then showing them after. people I play poker with know that I might for instance, limp in with (A,A) with two players or less behind me, and they also know I might raise preflop with (7,8) from early position.
All in all, try and keep a tight hold on your own feelings, and be perceptive of the changes in opponents mindsets, and subsequent play.
Filed under: Online Poker