Reading Poker Players

Alright, you guys have been reading this series awaiting some discussion on interpersonal poker psychology. You want to know how to catch a read on your opposition. You want to know what tells to look for. You (basically) want easy money. Guys, it just ain't that easy. You are going to have to log thousands of hours at the tables, sharpen your skills, and hope that you have some natural ability. We can help, though, to help get you going on the right track.

Reading Others & Instincts

You've probably read the poker instructional articles and books talking about labeling your opposition as tight, loose, aggressive, passive, etc. Those instructions are very accurate, and they should be followed. This is just a cursory exercise, though. I am here to help guide you a bit deeper into human psychology and understanding.

Phil Hellmuth, Phil Laak, Johnny Chan, Doyle Brunson … these professional poker players (and many others) have undeniably keen poker instincts. Through experience and natural ability, they just seem to know what others are holding. Most of us find instincts to be a tough concept to quantify, and even tougher to improve upon. Your first step is to understand what instincts really are. You see, we pass judgment on everyone and everything that we encounter. It is natural and automatic. In this age of "political-correctness," this is a very popular statement for me to make. Like it or not folks, it is the 100% truth -- we do judge books by their covers. So, after we encounter something, our first step is to guess what the outcome will be. For instance, while walking up the street a barking dog approaches. I may judge the dog to be a threat and prepare to fight it, run away, or scream for help. Another person may anticipate the dog will be friendly and crouch down to pet the animal when it comes near.

After this initial judgment, our mind then searches for evidence to support our first guess. In the dog example, I'd be watching for snarled teeth, listening for the angry bark, and inspecting the frightful look in its eyes. Notice how these work: we look for evidence to SUPPORT our first guess. With that, we often overlook information that may point us in a different direction. You see, our natural egocentric tendencies pull us toward the attraction of being right. We have a desire to be able to trust our first reads, and want to rely on them. With that, if your first hunch is that a player is trying to bluff you, your mind will work hard to prove that theory correct in your mind. In doing so, you may skip past some key pieces of information that would lead you to the opposite conclusion. I'm sure you can see the inherent danger in this situation.

So, when we talk about professional poker players having great instincts, we may actually be commenting on how well they juggle their instincts. Most pros work in a slow, methodical fashion at the table. Unless they have the absolute nuts, they are likely to take a significant amount of time before calling a large bet. More often than not, they eventually make the correct move. The time that they are taking is used to analyze ALL of the possible information. Rather than only looking for clues that lead them to support their first instinct, they attempt to weigh the options AGAINST that initial hunch. They track back to the previous bets, the pre-flop play, and to the historical play of their opponents. In this vital moment of decision and processing, a truly great poker player is defined. Many adequate poker players can play their cards in a sensible manner, allowing them to break even in the long run. The players who are able to challenge themselves and their instinct are those who become great.

I saw it unravel with one player that I admire, John Juanda. On day 3 of the 2005 World Series (main event), John looked down at Ah and As in the hole.. The flop came down with 6h, 9h, and Jh. When his opponent (I did not recognize this second player) went all-in, John went into a serious thinking session. His opponent was representing a flush, but did he have it? A weaker player would have been "married" to the pocket Aces and immediately called. After all, the mind could justify the call because the Aces are a monster over pair, the opponent could just have a Jack and think the top pair on board is good, the opponent could have something like 10-Queen or 7-8 for an open-ended straight. With all of that, if another heart on the turn or river would give the nut flush (John is holding an Ace heart). John thought some more. With a wry smile, he seemed to have it figured out. I gasped as he showed his fold, especially with a Ace of hearts. His opponent nodded in admiration and also showed his cards -- two hearts for the already made flush. John showed in that hand what makes a player truly formidable. He understood tournament psychology. He thought through each and every option. He read his opponent. He worked through his instincts. He laid down the pocket Aces in a tough spot.

On the opposite extreme, I saw an internet qualifier make an amazing call with Jack high to win a pot. He called down his opposition's raises on the flop and turn, thinking the other player was fishing with a low open-ended straight. When the river was a 9, our qualifier's hand of Jack high looked to be pretty ugly. When his opponent tossed in a sizable bet after the river, most of us would automatically fold. Instead, this player took some time to think through each step. He just was certain that his opponent has missed the straight, and the information he analyzed backed up his instinct. "This is a great call or the stupidest thing I've ever done," he expressed as he showed his J-10. The dealer had to look 3 times to call the hand, "Jack High." The opponent tossed his cards toward the muck and walked away from the table, steaming.

I am not telling you to talk yourself out of calls or not trust your instincts. I am asking you to challenge yourself and your assumptions. I want you to take poker to a deeper level by taking yourself to a deeper level. Even interpersonal poker psychology is, at its root, still intrapersonal. You have to analyze information thoroughly and accurately. Play your cards AND the man, and the situation, and the chip stacks, and the blinds, and the pay-outs, and your table, and your position, and you …. You get the idea.

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Poker Player Profiles

♣ Andy Bloch ♣ Annie Duke ♣ Antonio Esfandiari ♣ Chris Ferguson ♣ Dan Harrington ♣ Daniel Negreanu ♣ Doyle Brunson ♣ Greg Raymer ♣ Gus Hansen ♣ Howard Lederer ♣ James Woods

♣ Jennifer Harman ♣ Johnny Chan ♣ Mark Seif ♣ Mike Matusow ♣ Phil Gordon ♣ Phil Hellmuth ♣ Phil Ivey ♣ Phil Laak ♣ Poker Hotties ♣ Sam Farha ♣ TJ Cloutier