The strategies, techniques, and mannerisms of all card-players serve to influence a game's outcome. In my observation, however, most players -- sometimes even the professionals -- routinely make five critical playstyle blunders. After becoming aware of these blunders, anyone -- including you -- can gain a significant edge in the world of cards.
Would you like to learn of these five common mistakes try to play here? Show of hands? (Obviously I'm just kidding.) Anyway, hang around and hopefully learn something new! Hey there! It's Shawn (Bits of Real Panther) here; I hope this evening finds you well. Today we'll be exploring five common card-player mistakes and the techniques that you can use to exploit those mistakes. Now, these techniques are simple and straightforward, and you'll be able to put them into practice in short order. And, as always, be sure to pop that subscribe button -- right there -- and post your comments below. OK, let's do this. The first common card-player mistake is the act of rearranging the cards in one's hand. For example, in games where several cards are held in the hand at once (games like euchre, 5-card draw poker, gin, things like that), players will often rearrange the cards in their hand by suit, by matching numbers, and/or in ascending or descending order, depending on the game and the player. Now this practice is very unwise, as it can reveal to more astute players the constitution of one's hand. In fact, by surreptitiously watching your opponents during this "reorganization phase," you can over time develop the ability to approximate what those players are holding. Moreover, most players, when drawing new cards, will insert those cards into their hands in the appropriate places, further suggesting what they hold. In summary, do NOT rearrange the cards in your hand. The second common card-player mistake is the act of blindly following a set game plan. Players who use expressions like "I always do this" or "I always do that" (in reference to gameplay) GENERALLY are exposing their unwillingness to incorporate new information into their game tactics. Unlike those players, you should consider each new piece of information as it becomes available to you and use that information to "guide" your subsequent actions. Also, and in conjunction, you should maintain an element of unpredictability in your playstyle, as this will better conceal from your opponents the makeup of the cards you hold. For example, say you're playing 5-Card Draw poker and you're dealt three-of-a-kind. In such a situation the most mathematically-feasible play is probably to discard the two off-cards and draw two new ones; however, by sometimes replacing only ONE of the off-cards you might mislead your opponents into believing that you hold two pair or perhaps are on a straight- or flush draw. In summary, always vary your gameplay; do NOT blindly follow a set game plan. The third common mistake is the act of looking at one's hole cards multiple times. In Texas Hold'em especially, players routinely look back at their hands (which consist of only two cards) most often right after the flop is put into play -- the flop being the first three community cards placed on the table. Remembering two cards of the same suit is only three pieces of information (the two cards and the one suit); whereas remembering two cards of different suits is actually five pieces of information (the two cards, the two suits, and the correlation of each card to its suit). Because remembering five pieces of information requires more mental strength than does three, many people unintentionally reveal that they are either double-suited or single-suited simply by looking at, or by not looking at, their hole cards at inopportune times during the game -- such as in the example here, right after the flop is put into play. In summary, do NOT look at your hole cards multiple times. The fourth common mistake is the act of failing to watch one's opponents at critical times during the game. Now what I mean is, the overwhelming majority of card-players are most concerned with the value of their own hands; they are much more eager to peek at their own hole cards, or to watch new cards as they're being flipped over, etc., than they are to observe the other things happening at the table -- these things being, primarily, the mannerisms of their opponents. You should avoid this impulse, as it can cheat you of pertinent information. You should focus on the actual cards only AFTER all opportunities to discern your opponents' reactions have passed. For example, in 7-Card Stud, as new cards are being dealt face-up to each of your opponents, watch that player for any kind of response he or she might have to receiving that card FIRST, THEN look at the card itself SECOND; because, looking at the card and then the player, you miss out on that player's reaction. In summary, whenever an opponent's hand is about to change in value, watch that player for any sort of reaction above all else; do NOT worry so much about your own cards. The fifth and final common mistake frequently made by most card-players is the act of making decisions based on emotion, boredom, and/or distraction. When the hour is late, the alcohol is flowing, and tempers are high, and cell-phones abound, some players succumb to the whimsicality of making plays that they would not normally make for reasons not bound by logic: They play a hand because they've folded the last twenty, or they call a trick because they weren't paying attention, or they re-raise because they don't like the person who raised originally, and so on. And on that last point, in regard to emotion especially, watch any of those poker television shows and you'll see what a negative influence emotion can have on certain professional card-players. They just don't seem to "get it." For yourself, however, simply by maintaining a calm composure can you avoid the emotional pitfalls that seem to very often snare these professional players and thus you greatly improve the efficacy of your own gameplay. In summary, base your gameplay decisions on reason; do NOT base them on emotion, boredom, or distraction. And there we have it. This methodology is of course by no means comprehensive, but diligent execution of these practices should bear fruit at the card table. If you found this video helpful, or would like to share some suggestions of your own, feel free to post your feedback in the comment section below. And, as always, I invite you to like and subscribe -- I always appreciate that. And lastly, before we conclude, the word of this video is paucity.
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