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The great thing about poker is that you never see the identical scenario twice. Maybe you’ve seen the same cards, even with the same players (though the odds of this are astronomical). However, the details of a hand are never exactly the same. Did the middle position raiser have a slight hesitation before raising? Did he throw his chips into the pot or place them in? Did he look around at the other players to get a read on them or just turtle up in his shell? Many players possess the talent and skill to become great, but find themselves lacking in a couple of the areas that can make or break tournament lives. I’m talking about perception and having the nerve to act on one’s convictions.
Poker is a game of people more than it is a game of cards. Gaining information throughout the tournament and during each hand is the difference between an early departure and a fat paycheck. Look at what cards people are playing and how they are handling them. This seems obvious, but during a 12-hour day, people tune out and only pay attention when they’re in a hand. I’m paying attention the entire time, especially during showdowns. Likewise, players cavalierly showing their cards are prime sources of information. If a hand is shown to others at the table, I always request to see the hand. Virtually all tournaments stipulate that if a hand is shown to one, it must be shown to all. Never pass up this opportunity.
Obviously, everyone is paying attention on some kind of level, especially at big buy-in tournaments. There is a huge difference, though, in the amount of information that different players pick up. Sure, if someone shows a huge bluff, everyone now knows what that person is capable of. But that’s only where the thought process begins. Once I’ve seen a player’s cards I go back through the hand and replay the sequence of events as I remember them. Did he confidently throw in that call with the suited connector or did he think for a few seconds about whether to raise? Did he try to steal the pot when the pre-flop aggressor showed weakness, or did he just give up on the hand after he flopped nothing? How quickly did he check? Did he think before leading out with nothing? And although people often attempt false tells, if you play with them long enough, you should be getting a good read on them.
Another aspect in this discussion of “intangibles” is the difference between instinct and ego. It’s one thing to walk into a tournament expecting to dominate – every good player does this or else he/she shouldn’t be playing – but another thing to overlook your opponents because you’ve made more money than they have or because you somehow think you are a better player than they are. You may even be a better player, but you can’t let that self-assessment cloud your reads. Bad players get A-A, too.
When it comes to reads, leave room for error. One of the best parts of my game is my reads, but in most tournaments one mistake cripples. If I think someone has terrible cards, I’ll make a stiff bluff, but I don’t shove my stack in if half my stack will accomplish the same thing. Even if my opponent does have a poor hand, I’d rather a suck-out cost me half my stack than all of it. When I do decide to go all in on a bluff, it’s almost always a semi-bluff, with at least a few outs in case somebody does decide to look me up.
Getting an accurate read is the easy part, though. Once you know your reads are on, you have to have the conviction to act correctly on them, even if making the right move is terrifying or extremely frustrating. I hear so many stories of people telling me they “knew” they were beat, yet they couldn’t fold their hand. If your instincts tell you that you’re dominated and there’s no way the other person is going to fold, muck your cards – end of story. What’s worse, I can’t count the number of times a friend has told me that he was sure someone was weak, but couldn’t “pull the trigger” and raise him, only to have the guy flip over a horrific hand. At the Aussie Millions last month, I went card dead on Day 3, but I stayed alive by trusting my reads and putting people into situations in which I knew they couldn’t call.
This is what it comes down to; what separates good players from great ones. You’ve studied them for a few hours; you know they have nothing. Trust your gut and put in your chips.
Paul Wasicka is a professional poker player based in Las Vegas, NV. For more about Paul, check http://www.kwickfish.com
