| In no limit Texas holdem, information on
your opponents is very important. Skilled and experienced players
will be trying their hardest to get information out of you
in many subtle ways. See below the traps to avoid and why it
is best to smile and say nothing. |
|
| Someone asks “what did you
have ?” |
| The short answer is “pay to
find out” but you can be more polite than
that. |
| If you do tell someone what you had, they will have a greater knowledge of how you play with certain hands. Far better to keep them guessing. Never give in to someone who is trying to find out what you had in a hand and never show your cards when you do not have to. Information is power! |
| You feel proud of a good fold
and announce “WOW, I threw away 2 pair !”. |
| This immediately sends a message to the table saying “I AM A TIGHT PLAYER, I CAN BE BLUFFED AT WILL, I GIVE PEOPLE THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT”. You have given away valuable information about your playing style and all because you wanted a pat on the back! |
| Someone asks you what you
do for a living. Here is what your answer will suggest to
them. |
| a) “ I play poker”. Now this player will know you are capable of bluffing, can fold a good hand, have patience and will be more inclined to have a good hand when all in. |
| b) “I have my own software company”. Now this player knows you have some money so he cannot bully you with big bets. What he may think is that you are smarter and do not like to be out witted and therefore, the smaller trap bets will scare you more. |
| c) “I am a decorator”. Now this person will assume that you work hard for your money and will not want to let it go lightly. It is a green light to bluff you more with bullying bets and to try to get you to fold marginal hands. |
| These are just a few examples of how players will try to get information out of you and how they will use it. How you combat it is up to you but rest assured that when a guy at a poker table starts asking you questions about yourself, he is more often digging for information than being friendly. Harsh but true. |
| You loudly verbalise your motives
for a certain action. |
| As you sit at the table, going back through the betting, you say to your opponent, “I will call, I just feel you would have bet the turn more if you had a strong hand”. Do not ever give reasons for your actions as they will be used against you by other players later on in the game. |
| You justify your play when someone
belittles you. |
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