How to read (evaluating) players

[Siingo]

Hi!

There is not much in poker that I like more than outplaying another player with the reads I have on him.

Two small examples can be when I have nice reads that a player often bluff after a steel attempt but fold to raises. I catch the straight, call flop and turn and checkraise the river. Wait 15 seconds to he call. When he see the straight he write “ohh NH”. He has pair of 4 with K kicker. Or when I miss a straight at the river but there is a scary 3 flush. The pot is 10 BB and heads up. The other player bet and I have a read that he often fold to a raise at the river if there is scary cards, so I raise. 10 seconds later I see the wonderful word FOLD over his name! I love it! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

My problem is that I am not that great when it comes to read players. Especially when I multitabling. But I want to become better. A lot better so that this will happen often. And I think this can increase my BB/100 and help me to reach higher limits.

So my goal is to increase my reading player ability and I really need some advice and ides from you wonderful players! And I think there is more than me that have use of this…

Here is some questions that you might give me some help, advice and ideas in:

1. How can I see if a player is tight quick and easy if I do not use PT “game time window”?

It is a wonderful tool but I can’t use it everywhere so I want to be able to do it without it too. One time when I start to use it I saw a player that I had played over 200 hands with and he had a VP$IP<10. The only thing I had written down on him was that he played passive. Only the word “PASIV” and he was tighter then a virgin!!!! If a player is loose that is interesting to know but to know if a player is tight is a lot more interesting because then you can put him on specific hand.

2. How to easy se if the player is loose/tight postflop?

A loose player preflop is not always loose post too and vice virsa. I often miss this.

3. How to see the things that players don’t do?

Like not checkraising, not bluffing, not call with crap! It is often easy to notice when players do this things but it is harder to notice when they do not do this things. And this is information that can make you a lot of chips.

4. Keep track on more than one player at the time?

I often keep track on the one that bet preflop but miss what the other players do.

5. Do all this while I multitabling without lose to much information?

This is hard for me. Please help!!

6. Keep up the concentration and reads in long sessions?

I often tend to only take notes in the beginning of a session. Have anyone any nice technique to keep the concentration? Throw out the TV might be a good idée or use the same wall socket for the computer and TV. But it is hard even if the TV is off!!!!

7. Remember who you have notes on?

At party this is easy since there is a mark at the player that you have a note on. The fact that all player at the table is different makes it much easier too. But I can't se this at paradise and UB. Everyone look the same except the name that often is something like “gh3534”. And they come and go all the time so it is hard to keep track on them. On time I played a hand when one player called me on the flop and turn and checkraised the river. He showed a set. Best to make a note on him I thought. Picked up the notes and see this: “Slowplay a lot and then checkraise the river”. I could have saved 2 BB there!

8. See the most important reads quick?

Players come and go very fast online so quick notes are important.

9. Train this skills?

How shall I do to practise this skills. Ideas please! This is one of those things where I really need some nice ideas!

10. Any other idea that you got that you think fit into this?

I have some ideas myself that I shall post soon because this tread has already become too long! Please look at those too and comment them.

Please help me with this! If you have any experience, nice idea or anything interesting to any of the questions then please post it! I will be very grateful!!!

Thanks in advance! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

// Ingemar

[Siingo]

My own ideas how to start!

I shall write a list on shortenings that I will use so I can make my notes quick ( LAG, LP, CR, B and so one )

I shall start with playing for 30 minutes at only one table only, before I start to multitabling, so I can practice my reading player skills. Sometimes I do this with PT “real time window” and sometime without.

Too see if players is tight I shall try to chose 5 players in a row and keep statistics on those players for 10 rounds in my head to se how often they fold preflop. After that I pick the rest of the table.

I tried a variant on this once when I was multitabling but it was not successful. I choose one player at every table and made notes on those players. But I did this until I had decent reads and not only 10 rounds. After that I picked the players to the left of thoes players. The problem was that before I had made the reads on thoes players, half of the other players I had made reads on before had already let the table. I have to do this quicker.

I shall look after specific reads depending of the position to me. Like at the player to my left, I wont look so much for checkraises. Instead I will look if he raise often. But I will definitive look for checkraise at the player to my right.

Write a list on which patterns I shall look for.

And a note which say that I am a lazy son of a bitch if I stop looking for reads on players!!!!!

This is what I have thought about for the moment… Please comment this and give me some advice to do this better!

Thanks

// Ingemar