Psychology
What I mean by the psychology of poker is getting into your opponents’ heads, analyzing how they think, figuring out what they think, and even determining what they think you think they think.
In this sense, the psychology of poker is an extension of reading opponents’ hands, and it is also an extension of using deception in the way you play your own hand.
Here is an example. On third street, you have a low card up, are in a late position, have a hand of little value, and raise trying to steal the antes.
You get reraised by a strong player, who was the bring-in (with a low card up) and who knows that you automatically would attempt to steal in this position.
Since you know that he knows you automatically would try to steal, his reraise does not mean that he has a very good poker hand.
Consequently, since your opponent might also be bluffing, the correct play may be for you to raise back and then to bet again on fourth and fifth streets as long as you catch decent cards.
This brings up another point. The above play works because you are against a strong player whose thinking makes sense.
A weak player is a different story. Just as you can’t put a weak player on a hand, you can’t put him on a thought either.
Very sophisticated seven card stud eight-or-better can go even beyond this third level. For example, an early-position player (who is high ) catches a suited card on fourth street.
He bets, and a strong player with two low cards showing calls. On fifth street, the player who is high catches a blank and bets again.
His opponent, who thinks this player is probably on a flush draw ( perhaps because he just called with the high upcard on third street ), may now raise with only a small pair and three low cards.
His opponent may realize this and raise back, trying to represent a strong hand. The initial raiser now may comprehend this possibility and call his opponent down.
When the hand is over, assuming that the flush card does not come, if the initial raiser is actually against a flush draws, his calls will look fantastic to some opponents.
Conversely, if it turns out that the first bettor really has a hand, the calls will look like “sucker play.”
At the expert level of seven card stud eight-or-better, the “skill” of trying to outwit your opponent sometimes can extend to so many levels that your judgment can begin to fail.
However, in ordinary play against good players, you should think at least up to the third level. First, think about what your opponent has. Second, think about what your opponent thinks you have.
And third, think about what you have and who almost certainly don’t think about what you think they have, does it not necessarily pay to go through such thought processes.
Against all others, this is crucial to successful play, since deception is a big part of the game.
There are several other important specific ideas that play a major role in the psychology of poker.
First, when an opponent bets in a situation where he is sure that you are going to call, he is not bluffing.
For example, suppose that a situation arises where you have been betting all the way, you bet again after all the cards are out, and a player raises you.
It is rare to find an opponent who is capable of raising on the end as a bluff.
This is particularly true in seven card stud eight-or-better if knowing your opponents is aware that you know you should just about always call, especially if it appears that you have a chance to escape with half the pot.
