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 he Guardian Poker Column |
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| Victoria Coren |
| Wed 1 Sep 2010 |
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Don't forget, poker is a head game
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You have to think it through – or you're in trouble
We all know poker is a psychological game. You must be alert to your opponents' fear, confidence, aggression, hope, tiredness, hunger; all affect the bets they might make. Internet poker is more purely mathematical – but there are still emotional factors around players that have just won or lost big pots, especially on the bubble of large tournaments. |
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Here is an example of a situation where my psychology was off, in the UKIPT Edinburgh. I was chip leader on the table and was playing (and winning) most pots. In this hand, I called an early position raise with a pair of fives; the button and big blind called behind.
The flop came 2 5 6. A set! The big blind checked and the original raiser bet 1000. I called, hoping the button might try a "squeeze play" or that the original raiser would keep betting. But the button folded and it was the big blind who check-raised up to 4000.
The original raiser folded and I set the big blind in for a total of about 15,000. He called immediately with 34 (a straight) and his hand stood up.
I had played the hand as though it were day two of a far more expensive tournament, full of 24/7 poker nuts getting flairy with 99 or 33. That's what I'm used to. But this was a £500 event for newer players, who are just not going to risk getting knocked out at the start by making big check-raises from early position without the nuts.
I'm not beating myself up; it's almost impossible to a set on the flop and the chips might always have gone in. But they went in the wrong way, for the wrong reasons, because I bet lazily with insufficient thought to the mood of the table.
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