Party Poker Man

Know your Poker Opponents So You Can Take Advantage of Their Weaknesses

Poker is a game with many subtleties, and many of them have to do with psychology, having nothing to do with cards themselves. A few of our common English expressions come from poker contexts, and this is probably a result of all of the psychology involved in good poker player. The first two expressions that come to mind are passing the buck meaning the responsibility (in poker of being the dealer) and poker face to mean a face that could be lying. The poker face is one of the most interesting phenomena in psychology; most people dont give it a second thought, but those who do agree that its one of the more interesting aspects of human nature. Some humans lie much better than others do; it seems that some people can never master a true bluffing expression. The ability to bluff is the ability to lie, but its also the ability to show nothing. If youre watching your poker opponents closely enough you will be able to see clear patterns in their behaviour. If you cash in on these patterns that you recognize, it could be the difference between going home the biggest winner and going home the biggest bluffer.

The other people at the poker table are extremely important. Sure, theyre important because theyre putting money in the pot that you hope to later take home, but more importantly than that, they are your key to beating them. Odd, isnt it? It does seem odd that your opponents would be the key to beating your opponents, but that is absolutely the case. If you know your opponents, you will be able to beat them. Now, knowing your opponents does not simply mean that youve known them for years; in fact, knowing your opponents personally can be a negative influence on your poker game. Ideally, your poker opponents should be people that you dont know at the beginning of the night, but that you do know at the end of the night.

That doesnt mean that you should be engaging in conversations with them. Instead, you should be observing them. However, the best way to observe people without them feeling like you are is to engage in small talk with people around the table. If you look up from the table (presumably to direct your question to someone) you have plenty of time to scan the other players at the table. You dont want to be the nervous guy checking everyone out from the corners of his eyes; that just creeps people out. You do, however, want to be the guy who learns the motions and eye movements of the other people at the table before other people pick up on these cues.

What you have to do is register each persons behavior. Does one person always look up quickly if they have a good hand or a bad hand? Does someone shift their cards around if its a good thing theyre thinking or a bad thing? The idea here is that youve got to register behaviours and then file them away until you see what kind of hand they have. If you can come up with a pattern, youre golden. Youll be able to read these people at your table better than you can read yourself. In addition to calculating the odds of your hand being a winning hand, you should also be calculating what kind of people are sitting around you at the table. Only when you can perform the two simultaneously will you see your poker prowess really start to take off.

50 Hands A Day:
Whenever I am getting ready for a poker tournament I try to play at least 50 hands, every single day in an online poker room and on the weekends I go to the casinos and play 100 hands a day and sometimes I play right thru the day and the night The more hands you play the better you will be when the day of the tournament arrives. Laying more hands will allow you to feel more confident when you get to the tournament and you will have a better feel for how difficult it is to make specific hands

Poker tournaments are not quick games. a poker tournament can take more then 12 and some games can go for 2 days, dont worry they give you a break to sleep. Just from spending so much time at a poker table can take its toll on your mind and body. Therefore it is important to take good care of your body for at least the last 2 or 3 weeks leading up to the tournament. This will help you keep your mind focused on the game. After all if you were going to be in a car race you would maintain your car right?

Fuel for the Body:
Many people like to fill up before a poker tournament because they do not want to get hungry during the game, but eating a big meal before hand can cause you to need to go to the bathroom during the game. This is bad because it will break your concentration. If you have to hold it in you are thinking about not making a mess and can start to make bad decisions. What you need to do is to start eating well balanced meals 2 weeks before the tournament. Proper meals on a regular schedule will regulate when you have to use the rest rooms and when you will want to eat. Before the game you will know how often you will get a break and when the start time is and can create a schedule around that time table.

Work Out:
Spending so much time sitting and using your brain can be drain on your energy levels. It is very important to work out regularly. Once your body starts to feel tired your brain has already stopped working at 100%. A regular workout will stop you from falling asleep and keep you in the tournament.

Regulate Your Sleep:
By making sure you get a full night sleep every night and wake up at the same time every day for several weeks your body will repair itself faster, and the schedule will help you get a better night sleep. In return this will help keep your mind working while playing in the tournament. The average human needs 8 hours of sleep. Some people can get less sleep and be fully rested and some need more sleep. Make sure to get the optimal sleep for you.

Brush up on the Fundamentals:
Before playing in a poker tournament especially if there are big stakes involved it is always good to go back and relearn to play. Many poker players like to read books on poker tips and tricks as well as different strategies, and before going to a tournament you should bone up on all these things again. It is also good to watch as many poker games as you can. This will help you study the players and break down their strategies. If you can break down the strategies of the other players you will have a big advantage over them.

Following these recommendations have helped give me an advantage during several poker tournaments and the more I play, the closer I get to winning the pot of gold.