[deacsoft]

Ladies and gentleman of twoplustwo.com,
Today may be the day to start thinking about taking your game up a notch. During the last couple months I’ve greatly reduced the number of my posts and have been trying to focus on just reading threads and improving my game. I’ve also been trying to get an overall feel for the way many of you play and for how many of you think. The conclusion I’ve come to is that I feel some of you should be thinking on a higher level. What I mean by that is this…
Some of you seem to have been playing beyond the level that you’re trying to think at. Your basic skills, knowledge, and feel for the game are all there. However, the thought being put into each hand that is played and posted for comments and advice is typically mechanical. Don’t get me wrong here. You’re making good decisions based on player notes and stats, pot odds, position, etc, etc. The thing that may be holding you back from taking it to the next level is that you’re simply playing your hand and not putting much thought in to the holding of your opponent(s) and, in turn, what your opponents are putting you on.
By getting so wrapped up in the fundamentals of the game some of you that are ready to up your play are simply going through the motions. Your play is becoming robotic. For some of you this is a winning formula. For others, it’s still something that can be approved upon. For even fewer, this may be a dead end for your game. It’s my opinion that adding what you think your opponent may have and what you think your opponent may think you have to your posts can help you to advance your game. It can help open your mind to a deeper aspect of thought in poker.
Many of today’s most famous and successful professionals and authors would agree that there are many levels of though in poker. Many would also agree that the level of though is commonly correlated to the skill level and success of a player. The levels of thought can be broke down like this…

Level 1: Thinking about what you have.
Level 2: Previous Level + Thinking about what your opponent has.
Level 3: Previous Levels + Thinking about what your opponent thinks you have.
Level 4: Previous Levels + Thinking about what your opponent thinks you think they have.
…And so on.

For many of you Level 1 is where you need to be. You’re learning the game and that’s fine. You already have a huge head start on the majority of today’s new players just by being a part of this forum and making the most of your time spent here. Therefore, there’s no need for you to rush. For others, it’s time to go to Level 2 or 3. And yes. Much of the information for thinking at more advanced levels can mainly be obtained through player notes and stats. Yet, the vast majority of the hands posted for review contain little to no thoughts as to what the opponent has and so on. It seems that the importances of these factors are being overlooked by many of you who are ready and capable of thinking on a higher level.
For example, you have a set before the river and there is a three flush on the board. You tight opponent has cold called your pre-flop raise, called your flop bet, and then called your turn bet. (It was heads up going into the flop, the blinds folded, and you’re playing limit hold’em) The rive falls to put a four flush on the board. You know you have a set (you’re thinking about your hand). What does your opponent have? Four to a flush? Two Pair? A flush? What are you putting him/her on? This will help to determine your move. What does your opponent think you have? Does he/she think you have a flush or so on? What you have, what you think they have, and what you think they think you have should all be large factors in the equation that will calculate your next move.
In closing, adding these thoughts and how you came to them to hands you post could help you progress up the thinking ladder of poker. It will serve as a constant reminder every hand you play to be thinking. It may also aid those who are trying to go from level 1 to 2, or 2 to 3 because they are able to see how others come to the conclusions they do in regards to the levels of thinking. When done logically it can do nothing but improve your game and the way you think about poker over time. Your reading skills will improve and your game will follow. This could turn a decent player in to a good player, and a good player in to a great player. Is it time for you to take your game to the next level?


Cheers,

deacsoft