Getting lost during hands

Poker Strategy / Marcus Bateman / 26 April 2011 / Leave a Comment

If you asked any survival expert what the very first thing you should do if you get lost is, to a man they will all tell you to stop, stay where you are and think of a plan.

All poker players feel confusion at some point. Very few hands ever make 100% sense to even the best players, and wading through the huge number of variables that go into poker decision making is an exceptionally hard business. However, this is in large part the joy of the game, as it is poker's complexity and depth which make it so interesting and exhilarating.

In a world where nothing is certain, the winner will be the person who sees furthest and keeps their confusion levels that little bit lower than their opponent. Weak poker players habitually do the opposite to this and panic in situations where nothing makes sense to them. They see a big bet or decide to make a big bluff, and their brain quickly turns to mush. Impulsive decision making turns over from logic, and terrible calls or bets quickly get made.

If you asked any survival expert what the very first thing you should do if you get lost is, to a man they will all tell you to stop, stay where you are and think of a plan. If something really confuses you in poker, don't just act on impulse. Instinct is useful in poker, and gut feeling should not be ignored, but this is a very different thing from just instantly reacting and not even going through the options.

There is always something extra to consider at the tables, and you only have to watch the slow, diligent thought of top pros like Phil Ivey or Barry Greenstein to see just how important it is to give your brain time to go over each decision and consider all the possible options. Everybody gets confused at some point, the real difference lies in how those players react to confusion. They don't panic, they simply go back through the available information and try and make the best decision possible in the circumstances.

Everyone makes mistakes in the maze of poker, but good players make very few severe mistakes. The biggest mistakes in poker come when players are truly lost in a hand, and making sure that you do everything in your power to prevent these leaks is crucial to long term success.

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