psychology and poker

[bigmac366]

in hpfap and top, sklansky refers to second and third level thinking. at what online stakes does this become important. its obviously totally irrevelant at .5/1, but is it necessary at 15/30. sorry if this is a little vague.

[illguitar]

While it may be irrelevant in most cases at .5/1, I would reccomend a strategy employing this technique at all levels. This is because it is prudent to be in this mindset when you play in bigger games. It can be difficult to play absent mindedly, and then try to turn it on when it "matters". Practice playing this way no matter the limit and you can expect to increase your level of play, no matter the limit.

-daver

[K C]

I agree, and I don't think it's irrelevent at any level. It's still good to try to get inside an opponents' head, and you can make extra money this way. This is especially true if the play is more on the aggressive side, rather than just a bunch of calling stations.

KC
kingcobrapoker.com

[mosquito]

Yes, agree with thinking at as many levels as your
opponent is capable of.

I can be a 'tricky' opponent, and sometimes after
a hand is over I will hear my opp tell me what "I
held". They do this sometimes in a way that I know
is honest, where they are looking for validation of
their thinking.

Surprisingly, about 1/3 of the time they come up
with a hand different than what I was 'representing'.

This becomes a great learning process for ME.

[DrPhysic]

Using all the tools at your disposal to get the money is obvious. The interesting question to me is: "At what level can I expect some reasonable percentage (half or more?) of my opponents to be capable of this level of thinking?

Doc

[patrick dicaprio]

depends on what game you are playing. at 15/30 stud for example i would say it is not irrelevant but is not as important as other technical skills.

Pat

[TStoneMBD]

there are some players at microlimits who can think on this level, and some players at 15/30 who can think on this level. most cannot.

[GreywolfNYC]

Here's some great reading on this subject.
Inside the Expert Mind (http://www.cardplayer.com/poker_magazine/archives/?a_id=13251&m_id=62)

[jimymat]

It all depends on the player and your ability to tell what kind of level they are playing on. Watch the hands that are being turned over on the end. At 5-10 NL PS the other night there was a $800 pot where at the end Q high beat J high. From the average poker players mind you would think " how can the fish afford to play at this level ". If you had been a regular at this game you would have known the player types and realized that there was some deep fourth and fifth level thinking going through that hand. Know the players type and style. Understand that you will get guys playing down in game size. I play around 2-4 NL but the other night got bored and dropped down to a .25-.50 just venting. At that level there usually thinking about whats for dinner. My experience is that around the 2-4 is where they start thimking on other levels.