A Deeper Understanding of Your Opponents

Let's assume your intention is to reach a point of obtaining greater profit from playing poker. The money you earn is brought to the table by your opponents, the majority of whom lose consistently yet likely return to the cardroom always hoping for a lucky night. These players are not studying the game with any serious desire to improve, nor noting their own weaknesses, memorizing probabilities, and so on. They are people with jobs who enjoy the excitement as well as the disappointment of being in the action. They are attracted primarily by emotional factors. For them, playing poker is a stimulant.

Think of it this way: How can I provide them the excitement they are seeking so that they may compensate me with their money?

In order to arrive at the point where you can be free enough mentally and emotionally to even entertain this question, you will have had to overcome several key barriers that I believe all good players face on the road to profitability. This column is not about to address these issues; however, as an example, allow me to list a few: overplaying good starting hands that fail to develop, playing on an insufficient bankroll, possessing the inability to release good hands when obviously beat, bluffing too much, steaming away chips, and so on.

Once you achieve good control of these types of factors, you now face the most exciting and challenging element, that of understanding your competition so that you may maximize profits. This process begins by understanding the mentality of the California recreational player, since it is vastly different from that of a professional or serious nonprofessional.

Some want to be challenged but will be less apt to surrender their funds if humiliated. However, certain ego-driven individuals, if humiliated, will become dreadful players who literally shower the table with chips. Many want the thrill of upsetting the "pro," and get an extra high by taking down the supposed expert. Others simply want some basic validation of their skills.

Keep in mind that an overwhelming majority of these folks believe they are good poker players. Strangely, it is possible to make them feel they are good players while beating them and taking their money. This is achieved primarily by disconnecting from your own egotistical need for recognition. A long time ago, I learned a key rule in life. Give the people what they want and they will give you what you want. It's not a foolproof equation, but it works at the poker table. Your opponents want an experience, and you want their money.

In California more than any other poker market, you will face huge quantities of ego and ignorance (ignorance for the purpose of this column refers to a general lack of awareness regarding poker decisions and situations), which translates into bad players chasing big pots and trying to make flashy, ill-timed plays that can wreak havoc upon the good player. When you separate yourself from your emotions and can objectively understand the psychological makeup of those you are competing against, you take a critical step toward busting through the industry standard of earning one big bet per hour and begin to realize a much greater profit potential.

Many of us have heard such utterances at the table as, "Keep playing that way, buddy; you'll be broke within the hour." Or, "That was a terrible play. I never would have called the raise on the turn." In instances in which you hear the frustration of a lost pot verbalized as such, you are hearing someone pass an unnecessary judgment and not truly understanding what playing poker entails.

Along the way to becoming a profitable player, many of us experience the frustration of losing pots to "bad" players who are doing the "wrong" things and getting lucky. But you should understand that your opponents do not see their actions as wrong or foolish. They are merely feeding their desire for emotional stimulation. The act of risking lots of their chips to win a whole bunch more is the experience that speeds up their heart rate. The entire gaming industry was created on this very concept. Gambling creates a heightened state of being, and people will pay to experience this feeling.

What will enable you to sharpen your skills and make seemingly unbelievable calls and/or huge laydowns is a deeper understanding of the individual and his motivation at the precise moment of your encounter with him. I call it the study of tendencies. Fortunately, you begin to see that many players fit into a small number of categories with similar tendencies. As well, some players move through various categories depending on how their luck is running on any given night. In subsequent columns, I will discuss categories of opponents and their tendencies. In the meantime, visualize three opponents you have played against and try to write one paragraph describing how each plays. If you can do that, you are on your way to huge profits in this game. If not, start working on it.