Poll: What goes through a fish's mind

[Ruhr]

Fish don't know about the odds of making their hand. They just want the board to match and they're willing to stay until the river to make it happen.

[Bodhi]

Subject says it. I see this kind of [censored] all the time at home games. In particular there's one fish who will argue with anyone who tries to correct him when he draws to one-card-gutshots without odds. No one tries to correct him anymore. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Btw, Dr. Schoonmaker talks about this in his book, it's called "subjective rationality."

[Dorez]

I only started playing this year, so I guess I'm pretty close to being one.

I'll admit my thinking pattern when I first started.

Pre-flop
"Any 2 cards can win"
Aces, Kings, Queens, what's a kicker? I'm raising.
Any Pocket pair, I'm seeing the river.
1, 2, 3, 4 gappers unsuited. I might get a straight.
5, 6, 7... garbage hands. I remember that time I folded this and hit trips, I'm not going to make that mistake again.
Any other hands were considered premium and worth going all in on.


Post Flop -
Gutshots, If I hit I'll be rich.
Bottom pairs, If I hit trips or 2 pair I'll be rich.
Ace high, I've got an ace!!! it'll show up on the river and i'll be rich.
Backdoors, if x card shows up on the turn and x card shows up on the river, I'll be rich!

Bluffing means betting as much as possible on any street, hoping they don't call.

I like to think I've moved on from this stage. [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[turaho]

I think a lot of fish misunderstand bluffing. They pick the most horrible time to bluff. I had a similar situation last night: one limper to me, I raise AKo in the CO and the button cold-calls. Blinds call and the flop comes down AQ8 rainbow. Checked to me, I bet and he raises. The limpers fold and I reraise. He caps. This guy was new at the table, so I decide to check-call blank turns and rivers and prepare my self for the two pair...

Button flips over an unimproved 5-4 suited. None of his suits were even on the flop.

I think fish see bluffing as some magical tool. They see smart players raising to protect their hands and half of the table folding and think "Hey I can do that too!" They see the big poker guys on TV bluffing all the time (not realizing that bluffing is easier to do in NL since you can't fold a better-yet-marginal hand with an oversized bet in limit), and they're convinced that bluffing is the most important part of the game.

So when a fish sees you raise preflop, I would guess that half the time they think you're just bluffing and they have just as good a shot as you as winning. And if they were willing to call with Q3o for one bet, then surely there's no reason why they wouldn't call for two against Mr. Bluffy Blufferson.

[JustDerek]

[ QUOTE ]
Nothing so obvious. preflop: I want to see the flop. Flop: Ooh all I need is a King and that makes a straight and straights are good hands. Turn: Same as flop. River: Yay I am good.

-DeathDonkey

[/ QUOTE ]

What the burro said.

In your shoes, what I try to remember to think: "You just go right on playing Q3o. Please keep playing it." [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[flopwell]

[ QUOTE ]
I think a lot of fish misunderstand bluffing.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think people above the level of "Fish" misunderstand bluffing for that matter.

[ QUOTE ]
I think fish see bluffing as some magical tool. They see smart players raising to protect their hands and half of the table folding and think "Hey I can do that too!" <font color="black"> </font> They see the big poker guys on TV bluffing all the time (not realizing that bluffing is easier to do in NL since you can't fold a better-yet-marginal hand with an oversized bet in limit), and they're convinced that bluffing is the most important part of the game.

[/ QUOTE ]

Amen......TV poker is making 2+2ers, even us nanolimiters lots of jack.

[ QUOTE ]
So when a fish sees you raise preflop, I would guess that half the time they think you're just bluffing and they have just as good a shot as you as winning. And if they were willing to call with Q3o for one bet, then surely there's no reason why they wouldn't call for two against Mr. Bluffy Blufferson.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good analysis overall. It's just gambling right?