Ask the Poker Pro - How to Read Players
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Date: July 14th, 2006
By: Tight Poker Staff
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Q: Dear Poker Pro,
When trying to read an opponents' hand, what questions are you asking about the player? Are you thinking of what he or she played previously, what is the generally accepted play in this situation or any other things? I'm not very sure what I should be thinking when figuring out what to do.
- dyung
A: Hello Dyung. That is a good question and one that I can easily answer for you. When I am at the table and thinking about what my opponent is holding, there are many things I am trying to analyze, but it all starts with the question: what is my opponent trying to tell me here? There is much to know from him just on what he does with his chips.
Say I am in a pot with one opponent, who has just check raised me on the turn after I have bet with top pair. A beginning player at this point will freeze in terror and say to himself, "Wow, that's a big bet.. but I still have top pair!" and most likely call the check-raise. There is unfortunately very little thinking beyond what he sees in front of him; his opponent's chips and his own hand strength.
A professional player is different, because he will take his time to think about everything that he cannot see. In order to do so, I must walk backward through the hand and analyze what my opponent is holding that he could have made a check-raise here. I first ask what kind of hand can he make a check-raise with. Top pair, two pair, set, a draw or a complete bluff. From this, I have a group of hands that I think my opponent has. After that, I ask myself if my opponent would have played any hands in that group differently before on the flop. That makes the group smaller. Then I ask how my opponent would play that group before the flop. This makes the group even smaller and hopefully, small enough that I have a good idea what my opponent is holding.
In order to do this type of thinking, you must already have paid attention to your opponent during the time you have played with him. The more you pay attention, the more you can reduce these "groups" as you walk backward through the hand. A tight player will play fewer hands and have a much smaller group to start with, while a loose player will have a much larger group. This is one of the reasons why it is sometimes easier playing with tight players, because they are easier to predict.
As a beginner, this concept may seem hard because not only do you have to remember exactly how the hand has been played out, but you necessarily find it important to combine that observation with the analysis of how the hand can be played. This means you need to 1) observe your opponent's patterns 2) precisely remember the current hand and 3) be able to apply poker logic.
As a poker pro, I many times already know what I am going to do next when my opponent makes an action. This is because I am already doing all of #1, #2 and #3 while the hand is being played. When my opponent makes a move, I am then not surprised because I already have an idea of what hands he may have. These skills are all not easy and will come with experience, but the more you try to apply it, the easier it will become. With practice and study, your accuracy will improve to the point of making you a winning and perhaps great player.
-Poker Pro
Answers from the Poker Pro
Ask a Poker Pro is a weekly column dedicated to answering any and all questions
from beginning, intermediate or advanced players of texas hold'em. Question and answer
columns from the Poker Pro are archived below for your reading enjoyment.
July 14th, 2006 - Week #1: How to Read Players
July 21st, 2006 - Week #2: How to Play Pocket Pairs
July 28th, 2006 - Week #3: Bankroll Management
August 2nd, 2006 - Week #4: Are Online Poker Sites Rigged?
Getting better at reading people? Then play at
PokerRoom.com, a recommended
site by the Poker Pro for beginning poker players.
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