It's very easy to fall into the following trap: You play a few sessions of poker, lose a bunch of money, review your hands, conclude you played them well, and then chalk the whole result up to variance. Variance will of course play a role, and sometimes it will in fact be the main determining factor. But what about in the hands that you didn't review? Or more specifically, what were you doing during all the hands that you weren't involved in directly?
So often, poker analysis is only as good as the assumptions you are making about your opponents. Bad data in = bad data out. In coaching sessions with students, I repeatedly ask them about their opponents' tendencies as we analyze the hands. When the answer I get back repeatedly is "I have no idea" and it's for players that they do play with regularly, alarm bells start to go off. There's a very good chance the student is checked out during hands they are not in rather than watching the action and gathering insights to play future hands more effectively.
This following video provides tips on what to look for when you are following the action and how to stay engaged enough to continue to track it. After watching, you'll see that most poker games are won during moments of inactivity and observation.
Here are the Key Takeaways From the Video:
Over 90% of poker players make the mistake of not paying attention when not in a hand (or not knowing what to look for)
Practical techniques like mental narration, giving your mind a conscious focus, and note-taking help maintain focus amidst casino distractions
Key pre-flop and post-flop observations can reveal crucial information about opponents' playing styles to enable improved future decision-making
The Importance of Attention in Poker
Paying attention when not in a hand is crucial for improving win rates
Casino environment amplifies distractions (smartphones, slot machines, TVs, conversations)
Mental distractions like dwelling on past hands can hinder focus
Techniques for Maintaining Focus
Mentally narrate the action to stay engaged (e.g., "under the gun two opens, hijack calls")
Take active notes on players, patterns, and game progression
Using multiple learning modalities regardless of your learning style (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) enhances information absorption
Observe hand motions for tells (more reliable than facial expressions)
Track pot sizes and betting patterns
Pre-flop Observations
Assess opponents' range widths for opening, calling, and 3-betting
Identify tight vs. loose 4-betting ranges (Do the 4bet ranges have bluffs in them?)
Note big blind defense tendencies
Distinguish between polar (very strong hands + bluffs) and linear (strong to medium hands) 3-betting ranges
Post-flop Observations
Evaluate opponents' bluff-catching tendencies
Identify players who run big bluffs vs. those who don't
Assess check-raising frequencies and aggressiveness
Observe how opponents play their draws (passive vs. aggressive)
Understand how players value "showdown value" hands (Do they ever turn a pair into a bluff?)
Additional Post-flop Considerations
Analyze continuation betting preferences (frequency and range composition)
Check-raise more often against linear continuation bettors and less often against polar continuation bettors
Identify betting patterns and their correlation to hand strength
Categorize players as tight/loose and passive/aggressive
The Connection Between Paying Attention and Poker Bad Beats
My last blog post focused on the importance of poker preparation for win rates. And while this information is extremely important, if you aren't observing well, no amount of preparation will ever be enough. Without effective attention, you'll always be vulnerable whenever a unique situation arises that you could have never prepared for.
There are many hands in poker that appear to be "coolers" or bad beats in a vacuum. In other words, they are unavoidable expensive events, and the solver would have lost all its money with your hand too. But upon further review, many of these situations can be mitigated by paying effective attention in hands you are not in. For example, there may no longer be a need to stack off for 200 big blinds preflop with pocket kings if your opponent has only ever jammed all-in ten times for this size and each time he turned over pocket aces. As Maria Konnikova writes in The Biggest Bluff, "You Can't avoid bad beats altogether. But paying attention is one of the best ways I can see of minimizing the window for negative variance to peek through. In an age of constant distraction and never-ending connectivity, we may be so busy that we miss the signals that tell us to swerve before we're in the bad beat's path (p.147)."
If you don't know what to look for when you are not in a hand at the poker table, or if you struggle with staying engaged enough to follow the action, book a free consultation with me here. I'll provide you with a set of tools that will dramatically boost your win rate and enhance your overall experience of the game.
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