Our Differences Are Our Strengths
A game of poker is an opportunity to learn more about yourself and your opponents. It is a game of strategy, psychology, and dogged determination. Every play and faux expression has the potential to deliver a crushing blow to your opponents, or relegate you to the annals of obscurity. Showing up at a poker game isn’t enough. Much the same can be extrapolated to the game of life where performance, placement and positivity mean so much more than presence. Your typical poker game is played by 2 – 8 players. Whether you play twice a week, or once a month, it’s important to understand positioning as part of an overall strategy. Of course, the seriousness of the poker games is paramount. Low stakes play allows for greater flexibility in betting behaviour, bluffing, and risk-taking. The rest is poker psychology, and this is where things get incredibly interesting. In the war of attrition, it’s important to understand your place in the pack, since winning doesn’t occur by happenstance – it’s an all-round effort that determines who pockets the loot.
Your poker playing style – what it says about you and your ability to win
Everyone can be categorized as a specific type of player, although variations of playing styles are entirely possible. There are risk takers and there are risk-averse players. At times, a combination of risk-seeking behaviour and risk-averse behaviour are the norm. Psychology is especially important when it comes to bet placement. If you can bamboozle your opponents by keeping a poker face, you will win a lot more poker pots in the process. Hesitation can be interpreted as weakness, or it could be used as a deliberate ploy to throw your opponent off guard.
Nonetheless, a careful mix of intentional obfuscation is the order of the day. For the unfinished man, it’s always about improvement, introspection, and absorption of current conditions. Tight-passive, tight-aggressive, loose-passive, and loose-aggressive are but a few of the many different types of playing styles available in tournament poker. Once you’ve nailed down your preferred playing style, you can build your game plan around it.
Claim Your Rightful Place at the Table
It takes tremendous resolve to remain calm in the face of aggression. But this is precisely the type of temperament that assiduous poker players are required to have. All the blunder and bluster that other players will level your way must be avoided at all costs. Many times, intimidation is used to entice a player to go all in, boosting the value of the pot and throwing away perfectly good chips on a poor hand. Aggressive players could be holding the nuts, or they could be bluffing their way to victory. This is where poker psychology plays a part in determining when to hold’em and when to fold’em. Poker is not so much about playing the cards as much is it is playing the player. Much the same is true of the game of life where anything can be acquired if you play your proverbial cards right. The golden rule is never to play a shoddy opening hand, regardless of the potential winnings you stand to enjoy. If somebody calls you bluff, you may have to vacate your seat. That’s why it’s so important to determine where your power seat is in the game of poker.
Make a decision: Are you under the gun or on the button?
Some safe advice in poker is always to sit directly to the left of the maniac. That’s the fellow who wants to raise at every conceivable opportunity. That way, you can act after the reckless player, and you’ll be able to 3-bet and rake in the cash. It’s unlikely that anyone will decide to cold-call more than 3 bets without having a solid poker hand to play. Of course, there are contrarian perspectives on where the best seat is at the poker table. Some folks believe that you should sit left of the tight player, or right of the action player. When you are the last one to act, you have tremendous knowledge at your disposal. First, you know exactly what your opponents are holding, and that will guide your decision-making processes. Most players prefer to be on the button than under the gun, and this makes sense because knowledge is power in the game of poker. If you can get the loose/aggressive players right ofyou, they will act first and once you get 3 bets, only the strongest hands will be able to continue. By that stage, the pot is huge and yours for the taking.
