How To Use Psychology in Poker

For some reason I don’t think Freud was an avid poker player, but one never knows the true nature of another person’s mind. Poker is a game that involves several other components besides reading your cards to be successful and believe it or not, there is a certain social science that truly comes in handy. No, it doesn’t require a university degree and may simply be acquired through the school of hard knocks, but psychology does play a role in whether you constantly bust or are pulling that pot into the safety of your open arms.

The Power of Perception

In poker, your number one objective, besides winning, is to discern what cards other players possess and what they intend on doing with them. Keeping true to the terms of the game, it is what’s called a tell, when a player engages in some sort of behavior that tips you off.  It’s not an easy thing to be intuitive enough to grasp these little gems as the activity in and around a table can be very distracting and not just that it’s darn hard to be a mind reader! In case you aren’t too confident about your poker-face you’d probably better try your luck at William Hill, play in a poker tournament at any time of the day online and don’t worry about letting your emotions betray you. Anyway here are some samples of how tells work in a game-time scenario.

Watch Those Piles

An established rule of thumb is when a player doesn’t keep his chips in order, he walks on the free side and is not afraid to place some large wagers. On the other hand, a player who is neat and tidy tends to be a pretty straight-laced individual.

Keep An Eye on Those Wagers

The crème-de-la crème of poker players never use the same betting routine twice so they can’t be read, but it’s generally accepted that if a player tosses in their chips helter skelter and then tries to line them up they are bluffing. Many players add some kind flourish or insignia to their bet so you always need to be aware of how the bets are placed.

Don’t Sweat The Cards

When your hand begins to be placed on the table, it is like you are uncontrollably drawn to view it. Don’t. You need to pay attention to what the other players are behaving like as they look at their cards. When most players are pleased with their hand, their attention is quickly diverted from it to not tip anyone else at the table off. The opposite is also true, if a player can’t break his gaze away from his cards, his hand is probably not up to snuff.