Basic Thought Process (Avoid Common Mistakes)

Published on Sep 6, 2024

In poker, clarity and simplicity in strategy are essential to consistent success. We focus on creating easy-to-follow strategies that eliminate confusion and hesitation, ensuring efficient and sharp decision-making. However, poker is not a game where we unilaterally determine what constitutes a "good play." A good play is relative to the situation, our opponents, and their tendencies.

Anchor

 - Avoid common mistake
 - Deeply comprehend the four main items and detail points below

Here are common mistakes and questions to ask about them:

  1. Action Before Thinking
  2. Not Asking Right Questions
    1. What is the Highest EV Play?
      1. What is their range?
      2. What part of their range are we targeting?
      3. What types of mistakes are they making?
      4. How do I exploit them?
  3. Forgetting to ask inverse question on the river
    1. If I have a value hand, what size would I pick with a bluff ?
    2. If I have a bluff, what size would I pick with a value hand?
    3. Are there adjustments based on player types and tendencies?
  4. Not bucketing our opponent's range
    1. Can we use buckets, like top pair/sets/straights/flushes/etc..., to group opponents' hands?

Let's expand on each of these points to provide more in-depth explanations and strategies that will help correct common poker mistakes:

1. Action Before Thinking

  • Problem: Acting impulsively or based on intuition rather than structured analysis leads to missed opportunities and mistakes. Rushing into decisions can cause you to overlook critical information like bet sizing, opponent tendencies, or stack depth.
  • Correction: Before taking action, develop a routine to analyze critical elements: opponent's range, position, and hand strength. Always ask yourself, "What is the highest EV line?" and consider the steps necessary to direct your opponent to this line.

2. Not Asking the Right Questions

  1. What is the Highest EV Play?

    • Problem: Focusing on short-term outcomes rather than long-term expected value (EV) can lead to suboptimal decisions.
    • Correction: Always ask what decision maximizes your EV over time. Outcomes may involve folding marginal hands, taking alternate lines, or sometimes playing aggressively to capitalize on opponent mistakes. Recognize that poker is a game of imperfect information, and the right play isn't always about winning the current hand but setting up for long-term success.

  2. What is Their Range?

    • Begin by estimating your opponent's hand range based on previous actions (e.g., preflop raise, call, or limp). Narrow this range as more streets are revealed, considering how their play fits into possible hand categories. Think about broad ranges first (e.g., strong hands, draws, weak hands) and then refine as the hand progresses.

  3. What Part of Their Range Are We Targeting?

    • Identify the weaker parts you can exploit once you know their range. For example, if an opponent's range is wide, you may target weaker pairs or missed draws by betting. Conversely, if they represent a narrow, strong range, checking or taking a passive line may be better.

  4. What Types of Mistakes Are They Making?

    • Observe whether they are making mistakes like overfolding to pressure, under-bluffing, or calling too wide. This insight informs how you can tailor your approach to profit from those errors.

  5. How Do I Exploit Them?

    • Use the mistakes identified to form your strategy. Against players who fold too much, increase your bluff frequency. Against those who call too much, shift towards a value-heavy range. Adjust dynamically based on how they're playing both specific session and globally (across menay sessions).

3. Forgetting to Ask the Inverse Question on the River

  1. If I Have a Value Hand, What Size Would I Pick with a Bluff?

    • When value-betting on the river, consider what size would allow you to extract the most value. Against players likely to call wide, you may opt for larger sizing. If your opponent is more cautious, consider betting smaller to induce a call from weaker hands. This line of thought allows you to maximize your win rate in hands where you're ahead.

  2. If I Have a Bluff, What Size Would I Pick for Value?

    • Bluff-sizing should resemble the bets you make with value hands to avoid telegraphing your intentions. If you typically bet 75% of the pot with strong hands, your bluff should mirror this sizing to stay consistent. An opponent detecting a discrepancy between value and bluff sizing can easily exploit you.

  3. Are There Adjustments Based on Player Types and Tendencies?

    • Absolutely. Loose players are likelier to call, so you might choose smaller bluff bets to risk less. Tight players may fold more readily to larger bets, making big bluffs profitable. Constantly adjust your sizing based on your identified tendencies throughout the game.

4. Not Bucketing Our Opponent's Range

  1. Can We Use Buckets Like Top Pair, Sets, Straights, Flushes, etc., to Group Opponents' Hands?
    • Grouping your opponent's range into "buckets" helps simplify the decision-making process. You can categorize their possible hands into value (e.g., top pair, two pair, sets), draws (e.g., flush or straight draws), and weak hands (e.g., bottom pair, air). Once you've bucketed their range, you can devise a strategy to exploit their likely hand strength.
    • For example, on a wet board (e.g., two suited cards and a potential straight draw), you may group hands into strong-made hands (sets, two pairs), vulnerable one-pair hands, and drawing hands (flush or straight draws). If the opponent's range is heavy on draws, betting large can deny equity or force them into a mistake by calling with worse hands.

The core philosophy behind these corrections is to stay structured, leverage the available information, and always consider the bigger picture. When you base decisions on logic and analysis rather than impulse, you gain an edge by capitalizing on others' mistakes.