Poker Psychology – The Mind Game
From US Poker Kings
The rules of poker are well defined. Players understand the stakes and know the rewards. But poker is also a game where you don’t have all the information. You don’t know what the next card is going to be, and you certainly don’t know what your opponents are thinking.
Getting your own thoughts and emotions under control and learning how to read your opponents are important aspects of poker psychology. Many behavioral science studies have been dedicated to exploring this topic. Indeed, we often use poker as a model for deciphering human rationality.
That’s because the game of poker can help you become more disciplined and financially responsible. It can alter your perception of loss and life in general. In other words, the psychology of poker gives you a better understanding of both the game and yourself.
Know Yourself
Some poker players tend to engage in pointless blame games. When they lose, they blame it on bad luck or the casino. When they win, they confuse luck with skill and attribute their success to their supposed understanding of the game. Poker psychology tips and tricks teach us not to do that.
Character
Understanding your own character is crucial in the game of poker. Are you a risk taker or do you prefer to play it safe? Do you tend to let your ego override your judgment, or do you always think about your bottom line? All the best books on poker psychology explain how personality traits can make or break a poker player.
For example, in the game of poker, unchecked egos can end careers. Of course, getting your ego under control is easier said than done. Many players prefer to blame their losses on bad luck or other factors they can’t control. Regrettably, these players struggle with their egos beyond the poker table, as the same issues can affect their personal relationships and other facets of their lives.
But egotistical players are also fun to play against. They’re easy to spot at the table, and once you’ve figured out their poker psychology and tells, you can easily take them down.
Bankroll Management
Never bet more than you can afford to lose. If you are losing, learn how to walk away from the table. Bear in mind that poker is not about short-term defeats or triumphs. This is a long-term skill game.
One of the first things you need to do is think about the psychology of a poker room, as well as your strategy and planning. Every move you make should be controlled and calculated.
Play the games you’re good at, have a well-thought-out strategy, and set a budget.
It’s also important to have positive expectations about the hands you play. Your objective should be to become a winning player, and you shouldn’t let short-term defeats affect your strategy.
Self-discipline
One of the most important aspects of real poker psychology is self-discipline. To be a successful poker player, you need to be in control of your emotions, thoughts, and ambitions. True poker discipline isn’t something you can acquire in a single day. It’s a long process that takes a lot of time and energy. Every hand and every game will present you with new challenges, so it’s imperative that you remain focused.
It’s equally important to educate yourself about the bad beats of other players, which are extensively covered by poker psychology books. These poker stories are about players who made mistakes such as checking the flop in order to check-raise. Learn from these stories by identifying risky plays and moves that can cost you a lot of money.
Also, listen to others when they talk about their flaws. Your own shortcomings will never be apparent and obvious, so approach everything objectively. This will give you a better understanding of the game and the psychology of poker bets, which will ultimately help you avoid mistakes.
If you want to become a winning player, you need to engage in constant re-evaluation and adjustments. Make sure you identify the aspects of your game that are adequate and those where there’s room for improvement. One of the great things about poker is that this game has so many variables, strategies, and tactics.
Poker Tells
Every poker player is continually learning. It doesn’t matter if you are a veteran of the game or a newbie, the landscape of poker is constantly changing. For most players, poker is an endless learning process about themselves, individual opponents, and the overall psychology of a player.
This approach enables you to get better at poker. You play good hands when you have them, you stay in the game when there are reasonable pot odds, and you don’t tilt because one little pot is lost. These basics are easy to grasp. But becoming a winning poker player requires more than just the basics. Never stop learning and keep perfecting your game.
Player Analysis
Appearances and nonverbal facial expressions can tell us a lot about an individual’s thoughts and intentions. Reading faces is a science, and that’s why you need to have an in-depth understanding of poker face psychology if you want to win at the table.
Self-control is imperative because once you’ve got that, it’s much easier to analyze each situation. So, the more you know, the better your chances of success.
Successful poker players are not only great at observing others and absorbing information, but also at processing, organizing, and deciphering it. Imagine for a second that you notice a player is bluffing. You can analyze his appearance and actions and use that information later to your advantage. That’s passive learning, which you can also get from reading about poker psychology tips.
Those who go beyond passive learning generally know when their opponents are planning. They know what a bluff looks like even before it happens. For them, the first bluff is only confirmation of what you already knew. That’s because your opponents will certainly give away enough information for you to know when they are planning to bluff. You just have to know how to read the signs and decode them.
Some of the top names in the gambling business are more like code breakers and experts on the psychology of poker players. Their brains are programmed to constantly gather information and use that information to make logical deductions, which enables them to predict their opponent’s next move.
This psychological game can also improve our decision-making process in business and other parts of our lives. You learn to anticipate certain events and you act accordingly.
In poker, you can get a pretty good idea whether your opponent is planning to check or bet. Even if your opponent has a solid grasp of poker psychology and his poker face is hard to read, he’s definitely given away valuable details about his game. If you succeed in deciphering these, you’ll be able to use it to your advantage. The more you learn, the faster you’ll build your bankroll.
Developing Your Poker Playing Style
Reading your opponents in the game of poker is both an art and a science. To begin with, there are four major poker personality categories:
- Tight-passive
- Loose-passive
- Tight-aggressive (TAG)
- Loose-aggressive (LAG)
These four are also generally known as the rock, calling station, shark, and maniac. However, it’s better to view these categories as parts of a spectrum rather than separately. Every word and move at the poker table reveals something about your personality.
Aggressive players are commonly forceful in everything they do – they shout, use foul language, dress flamboyantly, and tend to be more blunt and rash. In this case, the psychology of poker players tells us that these individuals also want to be the center of attention and intimidate others.
Passive players avoid conflict at all costs, which can be a disadvantage in a game where your objective is to take your opponent’s money. Tight players are conservative and deliberate in their game; they do everything in moderation, speak very little, and stack their chips neatly. Loose players are impatient, impulsive, chatty, and sloppy with their chips.
These personality traits shouldn’t be taken for granted, but you should also avoid stereotypes. Very few players fit perfectly into these categories. They exhibit a mixture of dominant traits from one profile and some minor ones from others. You also need to consider the players’ age and gender and understand the psychology for poker players’ intelligence.
Gameplay Adjustment
Once you have a psychological profile of your opponent, use it to adjust your game. Playing against a maniac might drain your finances if you stay in the game for too long. If you can’t handle it, leave the game. If you keep playing, make sure you can re-raise with your good hands, and never let him put you on a tilt. In a game against a passive player, you need to be more aggressive.
When you’re playing against a loose player, bluff less, and familiarize yourself with poker chips psychology, because stack size matters.
In addition, be mindful of your own table image. If you can put yourself in the opponent’s shoes and crack his decision-making process, you’re ready to play at the highest level.
Bluffing
In the wide array of poker strategies for psychology references, bluffing is an important part of the game. But some players have a very conservative view of bluffing and believe that frequent bluffs constitute an unnecessary risk.
There are definitely many players who bluff too much. But there are also those who think that they and their opponents don’t bluff enough. So, is poker a mind game? Does it all come down to simply outwitting your opponent? One thing is clear – without bluffing, you need a really strong hand to win the pot. If players couldn’t bluff, they would have to focus exclusively on the quality of their cards, which would take some of the excitement out of the game.
In essence, bluffing is a tool used by the player to get what he wants. But if other people around the table don’t buy the bluff, this strategy can be very costly. So, before you start bluffing, consider your position carefully.
Bluffing is all about timing. It’s pure poker psychology. When you feel that your opponent’s spirit has weakened due to a tough loss, that’s the time to strike. At the same time, you need to be conscious about your own vulnerabilities to avoid falling for bluffs yourself.
Getting Tough
Every experienced poker player knows that each hand and bet has countless possible outcomes and that it’s all about the long run. Therefore, an essential part of a great poker personality is the ability to handle the swings.
A good poker player has to be mentally tough to deal with all the challenges. He needs to be able to keep his emotions in check when losing and not get carried away while winning. According to some of the more popular poker psychology tips and tricks, mental toughness enables you to play consistently regardless of what’s going on at the table.
Tough Poker Players
Mentally tough poker players are highly motivated individuals who are dedicated to the game. They are able to stay optimistic and control their emotions. The latter is especially important because emotional decisions often result in costly losses.
These players understand that when it comes to the game’s psychology, the poker face is crucial to winning the pot. They know how to decipher the intentions of other players while burying their own microexpressions. They remain calm under pressure and learn from their mistakes.
Great poker players are able to distinguish important hands and insignificant triumphs. They don’t blame anyone for their losses, and they know that everything comes down to their own attitude and approach.
In other words, these players understand the essence of poker psychology and see beyond the cards and the physical appearance of their opponents.
FAQ
Who is the best poker player in the world?
Phil Ivey is widely regarded as the best poker player in the world. His opponents applaud his skill at the poker table and say he has mastered the psychology of poker. Often referred to as “The Tiger Woods of Poker”, Ivey has won 10 WSOP bracelets, and his total live tournament winnings have now surpassed $26 million. In 2017, he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.
Who are the top 10 poker players in the world?
It’s difficult to get a consensus on who the best poker players are. The following are some of the honorable mentions when it comes to both earnings and mastering the psychology of poker bets:
- Justin Bonomo: $44,040,711
- Daniel Negreanu: $39,830,195
- Erik Seidel: $34,782,419
- Fedor Holz: $32,556,379
- David Peters: $30,106,263
- Daniel Colman: $28,925,059
- Antonio Esfandiari: $27,728,437
- Bryn Kenney: $27,092,109
- Steve O’Dwyer: $26,820,595
- Phil Ivey: $26,267,283
Who is the best poker player in the world 2020?
Bryn Kenney is statistically the best poker player in the world in 2020. He started his career in 2007 and has since mastered both poker psychology and strategies. His achievements include winning seven final WSOP tables, cashing in 32 times. His largest single win of $2 million came in 2017. Last year, he won big at the Triton Million – he finished 3rd and cashed in over $20 million!
Whenever he plays, he usually finishes in the top five. His extensive experience and in-depth understanding of poker psychology has earned him a total net worth of around $55.5 million.
SOURCE: US Poker kings
NOTE: Gambling is illegal in the Cayman Islands
