Poker Techniques: it All Depends
In poker, there are no absolutes. Many things are consistent, and there are plenty of good habits that a player would be wise to follow, but there is no single play that will work every time, no read that is always right. It’s hugely frustrating, but the truth is that the honest answer to any question about poker strategy is “it depends”.
In a game of deception, there are bluffs, counterbluffs, reverse bluffs, tells, fake tells, check-raises, and a myriad of ways that someone can mislead you. If a player’s hand twitches before he bets, he might have a great poker hand, or he wants you to think that he does. If a player acts aggravated that you raised after he checked, he may actually be jumping for joy that you’ve fallen into his trap.
With that in mind, it’s a great idea to watch those other players with every chance you get. With enough observation, you can start to pick up any patterns that may be found, and then you can act on a player based on their tendencies. In a game where there are no absolutes, knowing how a player tends to act gives you a nice reference point.
