Poker’s psychology: A key to your opponent’s hand

Administrator — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 07:16:05 +0000

Hello, I’m Simon Brown, a professional poker player. Very often your opponent psychology, his manners and behavior help you determine the secrets of his hand. I call this mannerism a tell.
In this blog I want to share some of such tells, just from my observations during the game.

A frequent opponent’s tell is
When I was a boy, I liked to play with blocks.
CATEGORY:
Noncombat
DESCRIPTION:
This man has gone out of his way to arrange his chips neatly. He’s even bothered to line up the markings on the sides of the chips.
MOTIVATION:
His personality, be it permanent or momentary, is not reckless. Neatly arranged chips make him feel secure.
RELIABILITY:
Weak players = 88% Average players = 68% Strong players = 59%
VALUE PER HOUR:
$l limit = $0.33 $10 limit = $1.14 $100 limit = $3.15
DISCUSSION:
Very rarely is stacking chips used as a ploy by a player. Most players only bother to act when the rewards are immediate (i.e., a pot which is still being fought for). Glimpses of an opponent’s true nature can often be gained by watching the way he stacks his chips. The very organized manner in which these chips are arranged suggests that this player will probably choose his poker hands carefully, seldom bluff and won’t display a lot of gamble.
Of course his mood may change during the game, but in that case his stacks will probably become less neatly arranged. Notice that there are a few extra chips on top of his large stacks. This could be his profit. That’s important to know, because you can frequently bluff successfully just by betting slightly more than his profit.
Players are reluctant to call when they’re winning, but would be losing if they made an unsuccessful call. Also, note that this fellow is very neatly attired. This is often, but not always, an indication of conservative play.
BEST STRATEGY:

Don’t get involved with medium-strength hands after this man has entered a pot. Bluff him somewhat more often than you would other players. Don’t call as liberally when he bets.

Learn more about player’s psycology in texas holdem.

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Poker’s psychology: A key to your opponent’s hand