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MCU poker tip: Know how your opponent is playing

It’s a mistake to categorize most poker players as loose or tight and respond accordingly without taking into consideration their present frame of mind. There are very few players who consistently play one rigid way.

The exceptions might be the true “rocks” who never waver, only playing their very best hands, and those rare super-loose foes who consistently show no discipline about hand selection. Aside from that, most opponents change their strategy frequently. Sometimes this is calculated and sometimes it is governed by emotions.

Notebooks

I’ve known players who keep notebooks about the way frequent opponents play. And, of course, some players use tracking software to record trends regarding their online opponents decision making. Fine.

Having a history of opponents’ play can help. But it isn’t always accurate. That’s because the poker players are often out of step with their past. Mood changes. Determination changes. Focus changes. And opponents can be playing much better or much worse at the moment then they typically have in the past.

More profitable

The important thing is to adjust your strategy to the way an opponent is playing right now. That’s usually more profitable than adapting to the way an opponent plays on average. — MC

“Mad Genius” ego damage and the nature of poker
Biographical, Image, Motivation, Psychology
About Mike Caro
Biographical, Mike Caro, Press package, SPECIAL INFO
About the Mike Caro Brain Trust
Biographical, Brain Trust, Mike Caro, Press package, SPECIAL INFO
Brain Trust: Hillary president chances 2016
Brain Trust, Thoughts
Caro quote: … old-poker gun
ALL (newest first), POKER, Quotes, Strategy
Decades later, poker history repeats itself
General, History, Hold 'em, In the news, SPOTLIGHT
Eye surgeries delay P1 opening 12 days (Caro blog)
BLOG, Life, Personal
Fast 2014-09-16: Murder of contemporary music
ADDED FAST, ALL (newest first), AUDIO AND VIDEO, Controversy, Life, Thoughts, Video
Fast 2014-11-04: Strange slogan at my polling place
ADDED FAST, ALL (newest first), Life, Thoughts
Hold ’em flop bluff using scare cards
This common hold ’em opportunity to bluff profitably on the flop is often overlooked.
ALL (newest first), Hold 'em, In the news, Links, POKER, Poker sites, Strategy
I used to be mentally retarded (Caro blog)
BLOG, Life, Personal, Psychology
I wake up with 311-point Scrabble word (Caro blog)
BLOG, Life, Personal
Mad Genius ego damage at poker (original version)
Bankroll, Motivation, Personal
Mike Caro Brain Trust methodology
Brain Trust, Press package, SPECIAL INFO
Mike Caro complete biography
ALL (newest first), Biographical, SPECIAL INFO
Mike Caro University: mascot, affiliation, Instagram
ALL (newest first), Announce, In the news, Links, News, Poker sites
More things I’ve never, sometimes, and always done
ALL (newest first), Ethics, General, Personal, POKER, Psychology, Strategy
My hippie photo that scared advertisers (Caro blog)
BLOG, Image, Personal, Photos, Press package, Psychology
My quotation isn’t cute
Gambling, Life, Quotes, Strategy
My streak ends + Poker1 status update (Caro blog)
BLOG, Personal
1 2 3 9

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↓ Tip collections ↓

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↓ Contributor collections ↓

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Published by

Mike Caro

Visit Mike on   → Twitter   ♠ OR ♠    → FaceBook

Known as the “Mad Genius of Poker,” Mike Caro is generally regarded as today's foremost authority on poker strategy, psychology, and statistics. He is the founder of Mike Caro University of Poker, Gaming, and Life Strategy (MCU). See full bio → HERE.

6 thoughts on “MCU poker tip: Know how your opponent is playing”

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  1. You are absolutely correct.. No argument whatsoever from me.. Thanks Mike’

  2. Hey, give Mike a “waver” on that one… (we read him for his poker, not his punctuation)

    1. Hi, Elliott —

      I corrected the error that Jake tried to alert me about last December. I didn’t see his comment until now. It was your comment that brought his to my attention.

      Thanks for joining our Poker1 family.

      Straight Flushes,
      Mike Caro

  3. There's a typo in the second paragraph; "waiver" should be "waver," I imagine. Great tip!!! Thank you as always.

    1. Hi, Jake —

      Here’s a way-late thank you for catching that spelling/usage error. I’ve corrected it now. I try to read all comments, but somehow I overlooked yours.

      Straight Flushes,
      Mike Caro

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