To Get Answers, You Must Ask Questions

I have written often that before I enter a game, I like to watch it. In live games, I watch while I'm on the lists. In Internet games, I just pop the game up on the screen and watch for a while. I find that even a brief period of observing before getting into play will give me important information that will often translate into edge and profits. This is particularly true in the decisions I make early in the session against players I have not played with before.



People sometimes ask me exactly what I'm looking for. I have somewhat of a player checklist that I run through in my mind when observing opponents, both before sitting down and once I'm in action. Some of the items on the list are basically limited to live play, and some to the Internet, but most to both. In Internet situations, some of these items are valuable note-taking points.



For example, in live games, does a player give away information when he looks at his hand? Does a player look at his cards in a way that an opponent can see them, giving an advantage to people you're playing against? If he does flash his cards, does he do it sometimes, usually, or always, and does he flash to the left or right? Does he telegraph action? Does he use ploys to mislead you, making you think he's telegraphing when in fact his intentions are different? Does he have any particular tells?



Live or Internet, I try to get some sense of my opponents' hand selection. How much do they understand position? What will they call or raise with in early, middle, or late position? Are they aware of the impact of limpers in front of them? Do they tend to overrate suited connectors and small pairs, as so many players do? Do they limp in from early position with big hands?



Do they call raises when weak preflop? Do they raise tight or loose? I find that many players who call very loose often raise very tight, and check-raise squeaky tight. Do they like to three-bet preflop? Do they isolate? Do they make position raises to buy the button, or to get free cards?



How do they handle late-position play? Do they always try to steal the blinds, steal randomly, or differentiate between players who are tight or loose in the blinds and regulate their steals accordingly?



On the flop, do they like to lead? Do they like to check-raise? Do they check-call a lot? Do they bet with draws, raise with draws, and play draws like made hands? Do they always or almost always take off the turn card with overcards? Do they test bet top pair, weak kicker, and fold when played back at? Top pair, weak kicker is a common holding, and it is important to observe just how your opponents play it on the flop.



How do they play fourth street? If they hit a big flop, do they delay their raises until the turn? In analyzing this sort of question, I keep in mind Mike Caro's oft-stated dictum that most players act strong when they are weak and act weak when they are strong, but some players are just straightforward, and still others try to get into your mind and will adjust their actions to what they think you think.



Will they bluff-raise on the turn? Do they take away the free-card play by leading the turn after being raised on the flop? Do they take one off and then give up on fourth street a lot? What is their propensity to lay down hands for a raise? Do they call with any pair? Do they take any pair to the river? Do they take overcards to the river? Do they bet ace high on the turn, any ace, or just aces with good kickers?



Do they change gears and mix it up, or do they play predictably? Do they tilt? Do they make any regular predictable plays? How are these to be countered? Do they present particular opportunities to test bet or bluff?



Do they intimidate? Do they check when a three-flush hits? Do they like to bet, or are they timid? Do they understand semibluffing? Do they defend their blinds? Do they have a bet-saver or pot-saver mentality? How does winning or losing affect their play?



One item I look for on the Internet is whether or not players whine? People tend to express their emotions more freely in Internet chat than they would at a live table. Players who whine give away an important tell. They are focused on the results of individual pots, and do not grasp the big-picture concept of poker. They tend to be emotionally weak, at least at that moment. They probably can be put on tilt, and encouraged to make bad actions in response to results. From a poker point of view, I like playing with whiners. They're almost always spots. That said, in live action, it can be trying to listen to a whiner over the course of hours!



Another thing I try to determine on the sites I play is whether the players are primarily sports bettors. I find that action is always better on sports days, and I like to start up a little chat in my games to determine who had a winning day at sports and is just relaxing in the poker room while watching the games.



It is critical to remember that people don't play the same way all the time. What one looks for when asking these questions is tendencies, not facts.



In live play, it is fairly easy to associate the behaviors you note, by asking yourself these questions, with the players in the game, as you are looking right at them. In Internet play, where you tend to have just a name or, at best, an icon, it is not as easy. Of course, Internet site note-taking features make tracking and recording player behaviors significantly easier over time.



There is a danger here, though. People's play is very much affected by their state of mind. Somebody who is tired, not feeling well, or at the end of a long session will play very differently when he is fresh. A player who is on tilt will play differently when he gets even. A player who has just gotten even will play differently when he is stuck, or is running well and feels the poker gods are with him.



The important thing is to keep observing and asking yourself the questions. You need to notice when something changes your opponents' play.



Also, I find that in most Internet games, it is easier to identify the three or four players with the most profit potential, and focus your questions on them. Of course, you always have to be aware of the tendencies of the players on both sides of you: those who act before you because you can use your position to get extra value out of them, and those who act after you because they can use their position to get extra value out of you. I always give the seat on each side of me a little extra analysis.



If you're playing two, three, or even four tables, it is incredibly difficult to ask yourself the right questions about your opposition. Hell, sometimes it's just a chore to remember who raised in certain situations, or who entered a game recently, or who just left. I think the edge lost in individual situations when multitabling is enormous, and the more tables you play, the less you are able to observe your opponents; thus, you give up more edge. That said, you may be making up that edge with the extra volume, but I suspect that people aren't doing that as much as they let on.



If you're playing on autopilot, you're not asking the questions that will give you the answers to maximize your edge; this is a major reason that human players continue to outperform bots. And if you ask the right questions, you will outperform the rote players, who might as well be bots.

Roy Cooke played winning professional poker for more than 16 years. He is a successful real estate broker/salesperson in Las Vegas. His books are available at http://www.conjelco.com/. His longtime collaborator, John Bond, is a freelance writer in South Florida.