Instincts and poker...

galahad_187 · #1 04-19-2005, 10:39 AM

How often do you trust them? I've flopped top to pair, no straight or flush on the board and just thought, '!@#%$# he has a set of 7s' when i get reraised. Stuff like this happens alot, and i find myself calling down just to see if im right. Whats worse is having say, AQ, flop A 10 6. You get mini reraised, think he has a set, turn Q, then can't let go of your hand.

Just curious how often you lay down/call on hands completely based on instinct, with no factual information or true reads involved.

galahad

SlowStroke · #2 04-19-2005, 10:56 AM

My instincts are right a high percentage of the time.

Unfortunately I don't listen to it consistently.

Its easy when my instincts tell me my opponent is bluffing and if I call this huge bet with one pair I'll win a monster. Those are nice.

But when my instincts tell me that my top two pair or bottom set is no good, I just can't seem to let it go.

In live games this is easier, often when you make that lay down, the other player will show his cards, and you get satisfaction. But online you will never know if you made the right play or not unless you call. And I can't seem to resist it.

deacsoft · #3 04-19-2005, 12:10 PM

[ QUOTE ]
How often do you trust them?

[/ QUOTE ]

Not nearly as much as I should.

jzpiano14 · #4 04-19-2005, 01:04 PM

My instincts are almost always right...but I don't listen to them often enough. It is really hard even if you put somebody on a set, to let go of your 2pair or TPTK on PP, maybe I don't give ppl on PP enough respect....

Bodhi · #5 04-19-2005, 01:37 PM

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Just curious how often you lay down/call on hands completely based on instinct, with no factual information or true reads involved.

[/ QUOTE ]

Never. What could my instinct tell me if I didn't have any reads or factual information? Nothing whatsoever. It sounds like the case of the "deluded expert," who has the utmost confidence in his absurd and irrational conclusions.

purnell · #6 04-19-2005, 02:24 PM

You rang? [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

purnell · #7 04-19-2005, 02:50 PM

It's pretty widely accepted that our species evolved from the "lower" animals. Lots of animals use non-verbal communication, especially in communicating danger or dominance.

I think what some of you are calling "instinct" is really your picking up on a tell that is so subtle that you are not consciously aware of it (which, now that I've thought it through, I realize might be correctly called "instinct"). [img]/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img]

galahad_187 · #8 04-19-2005, 03:58 PM

thanks for your replies.
normally i try to listen when its telling me to fold moreso than call. key word there is try, mainly because most of the time when i don't i get burned.

Anyway, anyone else have anything thoughtful to say on it?

Bluffoon · #9 04-19-2005, 04:10 PM

[ QUOTE ]
How often do you trust them? I've flopped top to pair, no straight or flush on the board and just thought, '!@#%$# he has a set of 7s' when i get reraised. Stuff like this happens alot, and i find myself calling down just to see if im right. Whats worse is having say, AQ, flop A 10 6. You get mini reraised, think he has a set, turn Q, then can't let go of your hand.

Just curious how often you lay down/call on hands completely based on instinct, with no factual information or true reads involved.

galahad

[/ QUOTE ]

"Instinct" is often your subconscious processing information faster than you can consciously. Listening to my instincts is something I have worked on hard and I listen to it now more often than not. One thing that helped me was posting a large note on my monitor that said "Listen to your instincts". After staring at that all session for a while it started to sink in. I often post notes on my monitor to remind me of things I am working on. It works great for me.

Pocket Trips · #10 04-19-2005, 04:29 PM

[ QUOTE ]
How often do you trust them? I've flopped top to pair, no straight or flush on the board and just thought, '!@#%$# he has a set of 7s' when i get reraised. Stuff like this happens alot, and i find myself calling down just to see if im right. Whats worse is having say, AQ, flop A 10 6. You get mini reraised, think he has a set, turn Q, then can't let go of your hand.

Just curious how often you lay down/call on hands completely based on instinct, with no factual information or true reads involved.

galahad

[/ QUOTE ]

The reason it is so hard to learn to trust your instincts is because there is rarely positive re-enfocement for folding. If you are heads-up and make a laydown, depending on the "friendliness" of the game you will rarely see the cards of you opponent and know that you were correct in folding but will ALWAYS see that were wrong in calling them down.

The "keeping them honest" mentality costs several BB's per session if you give in to this urge. Observe your opponents and re-classify their style and quality of play after every hand they are involved in. Until you have information that proves otherwise, assume an opponent is playing straight-foward poker. The key is to pick this information up in hands you are not involved in. Let the fish pay to keep them honest not you.

There is a reason for the saying that it is easier to bluff a good player than a bad one. Good players don't call down with nothing unless they have an AMAZING read based on thousands of hours of play and familiarity of their opponents.