Train Your Poker Intuition
As a poker player you need every edge you can get. Anything that helps you figure out when to fold, call or raise for an advantage gives you that added chance you need to bring home the money. Many pros say that they can often just sense when an opponent has a strong hand or is weak. This sense has served them well and in some cases made them millions. That being the case, poker intuition is something all of us should strive for. But how can we train our poker intuition?
What is Poker Intuition?
Poker intuition is your innate sense of whether an opponent is strong or weak, in the absence of any overt indicators. This sense is in no way magical. It is your subconscious picking up on the subconscious tells of your opponents. Your poker intuition is not necessarily always on target, but a gut feeling is often based on something your mind is seeing that your eyes are not and it can be a good idea to trust it. The more often your poker intuition is right, the more likely you are to be confident in trusting it.
How Can You Train Your Poker Intuition?
The more information your mind is able to take in, the more accurate your poker intuition is likely to be. Therefore you must become a student of observation. As soon as you sit down at the table, observe your opponents. Do they sit leaning forward or back? Do they play with their chips or leave them alone? All the information you collect will give you a baseline that your mind will compare against when something unusual happens during a game. You should also get into the habit of playing the guessing game; trying to put players on hands when you are not involved in the pot. Once you get into the habit of this, your mind may start doing it automatically at times that you are involved in the pot.
Is Poker Intuition Infallible?
Of course not. However, gut instincts are often correct because they are not confounded by outside influences. When you are thinking hard about a hand you are distracted by what you want to happen in the hand, what you should have done the hand before and even what is going on around the poker table. Poker intuition is unfiltered information. It shouldn't necessarily be relied on 100 percent, but it should definitely be given its due.
- Date posted May 15, 2008
- Post comment
Alex McCay
The world of poker
0 comments on this article