Throw In A Curve-ball; Keep Your Opponents Guessing
Good poker players will know how to deal with certain situations perfectly as similar scenarios come up in their games day in day out and they often so experienced that they can make the correct play with their eyes shut
When we first start playing poker we have to focus on every action we take, be that our starting hand requirements, our bet sizing and the lines we take during a hand. As we increase our knowledge of the game and grow more comfortable playing it this constant thinking element starts to disappear and many players flick the auto-pilot switch on.
Against the majority of opponents, especially those in micro and low-stakes games, playing this automatic robotic style will often yield profits (many would argue this is the best style of poker to play against these players) but once you start to come up against players who think more deeply about the game, you will need to up your own game and try to force them to make mistakes when they are in a hand with you.
A significant number of winning online players will be using third-party software such as a heads-up display (HUD) to aid them in their decision making. These same players will often sit at 8-12 tables at a time and almost rely on their HUDs for a guide into how their opponents play and you are one of their opponents. This means that everything you do will be logged and displayed on their computer screens so it is important to be aware of how you are playing and the moves you have been making because the better players will pick up on this one way or the other.
One way to keep your opponents on their toes is to act completely out of character and take completely different lines. Good poker players will know how to deal with certain situations perfectly as similar scenarios come up in their games day in day out and they often so experienced that they can make the correct play with their eyes shut. What you need to do is make a few moves that make them sit up and wonder what the hell just happened; take them out of their comfort zone and they are more likely to make a mistake.
One way to really throw your opponents off the scent is with your bet sizing. If you are playing in a game such as No Limit Hold'em then you have room to be real creative with your bet sizing. Instead of making a continuation bet of two-thirds the size of the pot (if this is your standard continuation bet size) try making one that is half-pot or even just a third of the pot. Do this regardless of if you have completely missed the flop or smashed right into it.
A common situation I see in multi-table tournaments is where the stacks are such a size that one player sizes their bets so that by the time they reach the river all they have is a pot-sized bet left. This is quite effective but a good player will often spot what you are trying to do before the river and not get involved too deeply in the hand. But what if you overbet the flop or turn instead or make a smaller than usual bet instead of your standard line? What about going into check-call mode when you have a flush draw instead of playing it aggressively or vice versa. Every time you make an unconventional play, one that is not textbook or deemed standard you will knock your opponent off guard and make them weary of taking you on.
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