In carpentry, it's hard to think of a nail without thinking of a hammer. Similarly, when you see a screw you naturally think about the screwdriver that goes with it. Will it take a small, large, regular, or a Phillip's tool to fit the screw? However, what comes to mind when you think of poker tools. Sure, betting, checking, raising, and bluffing are such tools. Yet, is there a common denominator that is the "sine qua non" tool of successful poker players? The answer is a deviate one. Something all successful players do whether they know they are doing it or not. In hypnotherapy, we call it Pacing and Leading. First, though, let's review how players bet, check, raise, bluff, and trap others.
1. Betting can be straight-forward or it can be a ploy to represent a hand that you only actually wish that you had.
2. Checking can represent weakness when you actually have the "nuts" to trap a player.
3. Raising can be to show strength or to get the play down to fewer players.
4. Bluffing is pretending to have a hand when you may have only garbage.
5. Trapping is a way to lead unsuspecting players where you want them to go.
All of these are legitimate tools of a poker player. However, none of these would be effective without the abilities to pretend, and then to pace and to lead. Everything other players do is under scrutiny to determine whether their actions are truth or fiction. The common denomination of all these tools is PRETENDING or misdirection. Some players are good at it. Others couldn't lie if they were a rug. Getting people to believe you when you are fibbing is not something that is taught in schools, churches, or synagogues.
I have found that the best pretenders are necessarily the best actors. In addition, they are the best leaders. They have led others to believe that they play a certain way and then-Bam! They switch gears and start playing the opposite of how they have been teaching. Recently, I saw a professional player who played tight and only bet or raised bets when he had great cards. He somehow managed to be sure that others knew he was not bluffing and had what he needed to win. Then, when the ante's and the blinds went higher, our Dr. Jeckyll player became Mr. Hyde. He began raising on garbage and got people to fold like trained pigs. Actually, they were only folding because he had trained them to believe that he was a tight player who wouldn't think of raising with garbage. So, it's not pretending alone that makes such tools work. It's the ability to teach others that you are somebody that you actually are not. It's the ability to lead others into thinking one way and then going the opposite way. The one mistake that this pro made was he didn't teach an new lesson and got called when he raised with garbage.
So, how do you know that when you lead, others will follow? By pacing other players, you are matching how they play. When they start matching how you play, they are following your leads. The next time you sit down at a new table, make a conscious effort to teach others how you play. If you already have taught them that you are a loose player, switch into being a tight player and see how many people call you when they should be folding. Or, if you are a tight player and have trained people to think that, loosen up and see what happens.
It's important to be sure that you are applying the master tool of pretending. Remember, though, that once you have taught others what to expect from you and have switched, you'll need to teach them a new lesson. If they can never figure out how to read you, you have the master tool mastered.
