Thinking at the Table (Part 2)

by Lou Krieger

In the first of this two-part series we looked at the job of a poker player and learned that winning poker requires a substantial base of theoretical knowledge that successful players are able to shape and mold through game experience into practical know-how. We also discussed the importance of observing opponents and categorizing their playing style whenever you are not involved in a hand. Still, there is a substantial amount of thinking and decision making that takes place only at the table, in the heat of battle, while you are involved in a hand.

Always Be Aware of Pot Odds

Regardless of whatever knowledge you might bring to the game, there is always some at-the-table analysis you've got to do. At a minimum you must always be aware of the pot's size. While it is not critical that you mentally count each pot down to its last dollar, you do need to know approximately how much money is in the pot at any given time.

If you do not know how much the pot is offering you, there's no way to evaluate the odds of making your hand against the odds offered by the pot. You need to keep track of the pot in order to determine whether the pot odds are sufficient to warrant your calling in situations where you do not hold a completed hand.

Putting Your Opponent on a Hand...or Hands

It is also critical that you put your opponent on a hand. Many players make the mistake of putting their opponent on a single hand, but they fail to change that assumption even in the face of new information gained on subsequent betting rounds. A better way involves putting your opponent on groups of hands, then eliminating as many as you can, by virtue of how they play on succeeding betting rounds.

Here's an example. No one has called the blinds, and you raise in fifth position with a pair of tens. The player to your immediate left reraises you. No one else calls, except the big blind, who calls at the cost of a single additional bet. You call too. At that point, you can put the raiser on any number of hands. Let's assume the raiser is an average player. He might have reraised with any pair from 9's through aces. He could also have reraised on A-K, A-Q, A-J, or even A-10, (though the latter three are not prime reraising hands) as well as with some very marginal hands like K-Q or K-J. If he raised with a big pair, he's in the lead. If he raised with big cards, you have the edge.

Suppose the flop is 9-7-3 of mixed suits. The blind checks, you bet to test the quality of your hand, and your opponent raises. The big blind folds, and you call. What kinds of hand can you put him on? For the most part, you can eliminate his having flopped a set, since he undoubtedly would have simply called, and planned to raise on the turn when the bets double.

He could have raised with any pair bigger than the highest board card. If he is a really aggressive player, he might bluff-raise with a hand like A-K, just in case he suspects you might be holding connectors like A-Q, A-J or even A-K. Remember, he isn't sure what your hand is, either. And he's trying to find out.

With a pair of tens, you're not sure where you stand. If your opponent is playing big cards, you're in the lead. But if he does have a pair, it's undoubtedly bigger than yours. You call. The turn card comes and it is an 8. Now you're holding top pair with a straight draw. You check and your opponent checks behind you. Even though there are three sequenced cards on the board, you know your opponent is a good enough player to realize you probably would not have raised before the flop with a hand like J-10, and certainly not with T-6 or 6-5. Consequently, he is not checking out of concern that you might have a straight.

You now assume he has a hand that probably can't beat two pair, and may not beat one big pair. At this point, you are putting him on big connectors, with some possibility that he might hold a pair of Queens or Jacks. Unless a jack or six falls on the river, you plan to check. If your opponent is playing big connectors, he might bet on the river, and you will gain one additional bet by snapping off his bluff. If he checks behind you, you have not cost yourself anything, since he probably would not have called your last bet without at least a big pair.

Even without playing this hand to its conclusion, you can see how you first put your opponent on a fairly wide variety of possible hands. Through deductive reasoning based on how the hand is played out, it became possible to define the hand your opponent might be holding with some precision.

In real life, you have one other significant advantage. By knowing your opponents, you will have an even stronger line on their tendencies. Some players seldom bluff. Some will never bet out on the end with less than two pair, while others will always bet whenever they're holding top pair, as long as the board is not too threatening.

The better you know your opponents, the easier it will be to make the correct decision under pressure, and the more secure you'll be that your decision is correct. That's why you'll seldom see a top player bemoaning a hand he threw away. When a marginal player tosses a hand away, he'll inevitably spend time carping about the fact that he might have had the bettor beaten. The top player will be quite certain that his hand is not worth a call by the time he mucks it. Because of that, he is much less likely to make crying calls that have no chance of winning. As a result, he presents a much slimmer target for his opponents to shoot at and saves money in the process. Remember, what you don't spend, you don't have to earn!

Summary

Because you don't have unlimited time to think through complex problems, you must be able to choose solutions from analogous situations you've encountered before. To accomplish this, it is critical that you spend time thinking about poker situations when you're away from the table. Of course, you also need to read and study poker theory. When you're at the table, you must continuously categorize your opponents' play, since its quality and style will change and evolve over the course of the game.

Always be aware of the pot odds offered in relation to the odds against making your hand. Finally, when you're evaluating options, be especially careful about those where the wrong decision will cost you the pot. A decision to call when you should have folded, or making a bet when you should have checked, can cost you a bet or two. But a decision to fold when you should have called can cost you the entire pot. When the entire pot is at stake, you have to be more careful about the choices you make.