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Observation:
A Tool for Improvement
Manpriest June 13, 2006
Playing a tight-aggressive poker game will get you far in todays fish-infested casinos and local games. Learning the basics of the game, hand selection, betting, and reading the board are required for any beginning poker player to take their game to the next level. There are several things that can drastically improve your game however, from that point. These are the ideas and strategies that, though they require effort, practice, and patience, are well worth the investment in the long run and are capable of transforming someone from an average player to a good or even great player. One of these theories or strategies that I would like to review is observation, both table observation and internal observation. Mind you, this doesn't apply as much to online games as live games obviously as there is much more to observe in a live game. One invaluable aspect of poker is the constant capability to observe and learn from your opponents. Weather you're involved in a hand or not, you are able to watch how your opponents play hands and build an internal profile for each of them. When sitting in a game, every second that you are not involved in a hand should be spent watching your opponents. Depending on the stakes, you will be able to see them show down hands and can play the hand in reverse learning they bet at each stage, how they reacted to heat from the other players, and what kind of decisions they are apt to make. You can often determine, at least at a basic level, several things about each player within the span of a few levels. Ask yourself the following questions about each opponent at least once or twice during the tournament to determine what information you've been able to garner: Is my opponent aggressive or passive? - Do they bet their big hands, are they timid when getting reraised, do they slow play too often, not enough? Is my opponent tight or loose? - What is their preflop hand selection like? Do they play any two cards just because they are suited? Do they overvalue two pieces of paint? Will they hold on to top pair like it's gold? Does my opponent have any set betting patterns? - Does Joe over there always raise 5x the BB with a big hand, 3x when narrowing the field? Too many players fall into a trap of constantly playing hands the same way, take advantage of this! This observation is invaluable online, it is by far the most profitable online when you are able to get a read on your opponent. Does my opponent bluff? - Too often? Not enough? Does he always bet the same amount when bluffing? Does my opponent protect his blinds? - Early in a tournament it's always worth it, when the opportunity arises, to attempt a steal on the people to your immediate left two seats. Learn as early as possible if they will protect their blinds with mediocre cards or if they are willing to toss them away and forfeit their blinds. As Phil Gordon states: "I make my living off of stealing blinds". These are just a few questions that you can use to judge your level of observation at the table. If you are just starting and trying to incorporate these rules of observation in to your game then ask yourself the above series of questions, in regard to each player, at the end of the tournament. This will give you a good idea of where you are at and how much you need to improve. Once you have mastered the above, add more questions to your repertoire or go more in depth with the above. Whatever you do it's invaluable that you constantly try to escalate the level of your game. Physical observations are another tool that you can use to maximize your wins and minimize your losses during a session. There are several physical 'tells' that are very strong in regards to weak players or newer players who are not familiar with them. If you haven't read 'Caro's Book of Poker Tells' I would highly recommend that you pick that up immediately. These are not, however, the only physical signs you should be looking for. With so many people playing poker these days, there are thousands of signs out there that you should watch for. For instance, 'chip shuffling' is the biggest craze at the poker table, but when does your opponent shuffle his chips? Only when he's disinterested in a pot? If it's constantly and he suddenly stops, what does this tell you? The first time, it should tell you to watch how that hand plays out. Did he have a strong hand and suddenly stopped shuffling because he became overly interested in winning this pot? Did he stop shuffling because he was going to attempt a steal and didn't want to attract any attention to himself? If you catch this once then this tell can be invaluable over multiple sessions with that player, or even for a few pots in the current one. This is just one example of how observing your opponents physical actions can assist you in your poker game. Playing a tight-aggressive poker game is the first step to becoming a winning poker player. There are several other tools that the great poker players have in their arsenal. One of those is the power of observation, the knowledge of what tells mean strength and what tells carry the stench of weakness. I hope this little article will help you in some way improve your game and has impressed upon you the value of watching the table. |
