One of the best tools that a poker player can use is their mind. Your mind is the place where you figure out your odds, read other players, remember previous hands and mistakes. These are skills that ever human has in some capacity and they can be strengthened through practice and learning. Many poker players play on auto pilot without taking advantage of their mind and thinking about the game and what is going on around them.
The human mind can work like a computer, analyzing all kinds of information and number, but better than any computer it can find complex and creative solutions to solving problems. As you play more and more poker you will see how different peoples’ minds come up with different ways of playing the game. You can even use your mind against other peoples thinking processes by trying to mislead them into using their mind to make the wrong conclusions. This is the great thing about the game of poker; it is a mind game as much as it is a game of cards and numbers.
Among the basic keys to applying psychology to control an opponent at the poker tables is to create a plan. You want to be ready to move promptly, founded on the actions of your opponent as you’re trying to project a false assumption about your hand into their mind. If it’s your aim to convince your opponent that you are holding A-K, you’ll need to raise with confidence and speedily, and be prepared to act whenever he re-raises you. Whenever you wish him to believe you’re holding pocket ace king, you should time your actions to fit your illusion.
