Is my opponent a good or great player?
by Buschman on Apr.15, 2009, under Poker
What does a good player look like?
We see a good number of people that portray an image of being a good player.
Why do we see them as winners? What characteristics set them apart from other poker players?
1. They typically are watching the other players until it’s their turn to act. They are watching to see if the opponent gives off information about the quality of his hand.
2. They don’t make moves (tells) to give away information. Most seem to be stoic in their actions.
3. They have the ability to size up another player’s chip count without asking. When they talk to another player, they are not looking for the exact answer. They want to size up how confident the opponent is in his actions.
4. Their bets, normally, don’t gives away information on the hand strength. They will typically raise based on position, rather than card strength. They are not afraid to raise when an opponent appears weak.
5. They are confident in their game and are more willing to play post-flop than the typical amature player.
6. Most good players don’t put down a weak player. They don’t want the weak player to start paying attention and begin to play better.
7. Typically they will be very aggressive when taking action. They also know to change gears to keep the opponent off balance.
8. They will rarely school opponent to improve during the playing session. Don’t kill the goose that’s laying the gold on the table.
Very good players look for two things when they look at a hand:
(a) First, should I fold because I won’t get paid off (opponent is good player or doesn’t have any chips).
(b) Second, this hand has potential (1) I could make a big hand & (2) if I make something, I can take a big pot.