Advanced Poker Strategy -
How to Gauge Players in Multi-Player Poker
Being able to evaluate
players at your poker table - as accurately as
possible - is a skill that plays a crucial role
in helping you play more effectively against
them. Typically, in a game of poker, whether it
is online or in land-based casinos, you will be
allowed to make notes of your observation of
your opponents. The notes serve to annotate the
players' game.
When you are playing
online and cannot see your opponent, you can use
two elements for making your assessment of him.
First is a chat window (live) and second is his
betting pattern. The options offered for online
assessment are those that are applicable to live
play too, however, the difference is that the
online chat is substituted with conversations at
the table. Here are the different aspects that
will help you assess your opponents:
Experienced players
Experienced players can be relatively inactive
in online chat, and even if they communicate,
using this medium, very little about the player
may be revealed this way. A sign that indicates
that a player is skilled and experienced
(relatively accurately) is multi-tabling. If a
player is able to manage games at different
tables, it is unlikely that he plays with
marginal hands. You will have to play cautiously
when faced with such an opponent. Another
indicator of skill at poker is the style of
playing. If a player is considerably tight at
the table, chances are that he is an experienced
player. In addition, an opponent can be assumed
to be strong if he has a sizeable stack at the
table.
Top-Rated Online Poker Room
- Full Tilt Poker - 100% Sign Up Bonus up to
$600 FREE! + an Entry to the
$100K New Depositors Freeroll
Visit Full Tilt
Poker
Novices -
online
On the
other hand, novices may show their lack of
experience and betting tendencies in the game
more clearly - whether it be to overplaying
their big hands or tilt. This may be revealed
through either their chats or their
conversations. Sometimes, players new to the
game may discuss their recent game plays with
other new players. This can be a reasonably
accurate indicator of their inexperience in the
game. In addition, the player may be
considerably loose and may lay down his draws
when he sees a bet. This is largely owing to the
fact that he considers pocket aces as the real
winners in the game. Also, the novice could
still be developing his understanding of
concepts like pot odds and stack odds.
Volunteering into the pot
The
concept of volunteering into the pot is based
solely on the frequency with which a player puts
money into the pot. This can be represented as a
simple percentage indicating the number of times
a player puts money in. For instance, if a
player puts money 6 times, then the percentage
will be represented as 60%. On an average, in
most games majority of players fall in the 2 and
5 category. This number will have to be altered
as the game proceeds. This is because in the
short run, a tight player will have the chance
to put in a number of top starting hands, and a
loose player may place numerous hands
successively.
If you
are playing online, the easiest way to do this
is by employing a spreadsheet. You can also
choose from a few effective software Heads Up
Displays. The software is capable of reading the
poker client automatically and displays
information on the monitor in an easily useable
format.
|
