Poker Hand Reading
Hand reading is really what separates the amateur from the professionals. Poker is not mechanical - there is a great deal of finesse inherent in the game and excellent hand reading allows you to win more when ahead and lose less when behind. If you are to be a professional you will need excellent hand reading skills - and so if you are considering making the move to professional, it requires you to ask yourself how good your hand reading skills are and if there not to good they will need to be improved.
There’s an old poker saying which goes “If you don’t know who the fish at the table is within the first hour of play, it’s you”. This is good advice and generally true - and what makes the fish oblivious to the fact that he is a fish is a complete lack of hand reading. If a tight player raises UTG and you know he has AA, KK, AK or QQ - because of hand reading - you are going to fold AJ. A fish doesn’t read hands, he just sees AJ and calls or reraises because he is a fish.
If you want to be a professional poker player you need to read hands well. The most obvious hint you might not be reading hands well is if you constantly find yourself surprised at showdown. Now some opponents hand ranges are so wide that you simply cannot read them very accurately, this is likely to be true of your loosest and most aggresive opponents. But if you consistently find yourself scratching your head at showdown, your hand reading skills probably need work. Spend more concentration when you are out of the hand, observing your opponents and constantly trying to put them on hands. Take advantage of the “note making” tool many sites offer as this can help you remember important information that will enable you to make more informed decisions in later encounters.
The ability to read hands is crucial to your success as a poker player. It’s not enough to memorize starting hands by rote and then expect ABC poker to carry you through to victory. While this may be a winning style, paying close attention to how your opponents play will increase your “rate” and help move you from the merely good, which is fine for a recreational player, to the great, which is necessary for a professional.
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Further Reading
