Poker Psychology:

By Crystal Osgood-Gray

Poker Psychology: Poker psychology boils down to your ability to observe how others play, and use that experience to judge how your opponents may be playing in the current hand, under current emotional conditions.

Poker psychology is one of the most important skills to master to improve your game.  Yet, it is very difficult to learn and apply, especially for the recreational or novice player.  To understand and apply poker psychology you must develop the discipline to closely observe your opponents and relate their betting patterns and mannerisms to each situation as they unfold.  Mike Caro’s “Book of Poker Tells” is probably the best book on the subject.  If you’re serious about poker this is a book you should own. 

As betting patterns are the more prominent of tells, it’s best to start there.  Do your opponents call the blinds pre-flop, then bet the flop, check the turn, and bet the river?   Do they check when they’re strong and raise when they’re weak?  In what position do they just call pre-flop with a strong hand?  Betting patterns of an opponent, when observed closely over time, can be safe reliable tells that will make you money in the long run.  But, be careful of more experienced players as their betting patterns are much more complex.

Beyond the art of reading betting patterns and physical signs, poker psychology is about getting into your opponent’s head and understanding what they might be feeling or thinking. It is important to try to understand why someone is playing a hand in a certain way, or playing a hand at all.  If you can gauge their motivation, you can often deduce what’s in their hand.

For example:  I was in the early middle stages of the $2K NL Holdem 2006 WSOP event.  Tables were breaking left and right as I was sent to a new table across the room.  I had about $6K and sheepishly stacked my chips on my new table where the average stack was about $10K.  I was one player away from being the shortest stack.  As I sat down in the no. 8 seat and started to observe the table I looked at each player to see who was looking back at me.  I knew the other players were sizing me up; trying to figure how they would take advantage.  A young gun sitting directly across from me in the no. 2 seat with about $18K in chips watched me stack my chips. I noticed that he looked at me, then at my chips, and then (here is the tell) he looked down at his own chips while rubbing his index finger and thumb together.  Based only on his behavior I had the distinct impression that he was going to bet regardless of his hand.

I was two players away from the BB.  He continued to watch me.  My eyes were protected, but his were not.  When the $600 BB came to me, and action was folded to him, he looked at his chips again, took a meager look at his cards and bet out $2K and everyone folded back to me.  I looked down to find K9 off suit and raised all-in.  In this instance it didn’t matter what I had.  I would have gone all-in with anything.  He moved back and forth in his seat for a moment.  He wasn’t expecting that.  He looked at his hand once more, this time noticing what they were.  Then he threw them away.

I was able to guess his motivation based upon certain clues.  He was a young kid, early twenties, with something to prove. He wasn’t a bully, he just seemed very eager the way he rubbed his fingers together as he looked at his chips.  I also guessed he was thinking of me in a certain way -- “Here is a woman with a short-stack sitting down at a new table.  She looks intimidated, sheepishly stacking her chips.  She won’t play a hand unless she has AA or KK.” Of course, it doesn’t hurt to put off some tells of your own.  Acting sheepish and nervous added to this young gent wanting to take advantage.

The lesson:  By identifying the opportunity and choosing the right timing I landed a big pot.  It allowed me to survive longer and wait for better cards to come.