Information clues when running good

Heads Up / Marcus Bateman / 26 February 2010 / Leave a Comment

Ursain Bolt always runs well

This phenomenon is one of the key reasons why it is so critically important to carry on playing for as long as possible when winning, and to quit early when losing.

One of the interesting features of poker is that how players run directly affects the information you give out - and receive from - your opponents. This is because the strength of the hands you are hitting drastically changes the amount of knowledge you have to give out, and this can have a snowball effect that has to be considered and adapted to.

Any player can get it in with a set or an over pair or a flush or straight. You get no valuable information from a player who habitually turns up with the goods unless they are playing so few hands that you can safely label them a rock. However, if you are habitually making marginal plays that are going wrong, such as making a move with top pair and running into the top part of an opponent's range of hands, or missing every draw you play aggressively, you give out a lot of information to your opponent about how you play the hands that actually make the difference in poker - the marginal ones.

If you imagine a heads up match between a player running well and a player running badly. The player running well has the bonus of not only hitting many more hands than their opponent, but also of gaining far more information about what ranges their opponent does what with, and this is a huge tool for a good player. It is akin to two generals in a war, one of whom has complete information about what the other is doing, with the other only seeing 10% of their movements - clearly a huge advantage.

This phenomenon is one of the key reasons why it is so critically important to carry on playing for as long as possible when winning, and to quit early when losing (most people usually do the opposite - quitting after a short winning session and chasing their losses for hours when losing). When running well you will not only hit more hands and win more pots, you will also give out far less information to your opponents, and in the case of them running bad, you will learn far more from them.

This is one of the biggest 'snowball' effects in the world of poker, and one which it is crucial to understand. As you win more and more, so your advantage grows, and as you run bad, so you start losing out more and more. Taking advantage of this when winning, and minimising its effects when losing are hallmarks of all the greatest cash players, and understanding information and its relationship with your well you are running is fundamental to long term success.

More Heads Up Articles

Take advantage of your opponent's tilt when heads-up - John Tabatabai
Playing by sense of smell - John Tabatabai
Heads up SNGs - Position - Sorel Mizzi
Heads Up Sit and Go - The Nature of the Beast - Marcus Bateman