by James Briscoe

Created on: April 26, 2008

Poker is a game that requires a mix of skills. A player must be more than a lucky novice who catches an occasional break. That will not take you to the final table. There is a lot to the game, and most players do not properly analyze it. The first skill one must possess is the ability to judge a persons character. Next, a player must understand the odds of making a hand. Then comes intuition, as a poker player has to develop a sixth sense that enables him or her to sniff out the next card that will fall. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, a player must be a good actor. If a poker player can perfect these skills, then they will be able to effectively bluff an opponent when necessary.

The first skill I mentioned was the ability to judge a persons character. This is the main key for effective bluffing because if you are not able to read a player you may find yourself bluffing against an opponent who has the best hand. This skill is not only important in poker, but in all of life's ventures. The ability to look at another person and see into their thoughts will always give a player the upper hand. Not only will this allow a player to bluff, but it will also keep that player from being bluffed themselves. So how do you read a player? First you have to watch them for a while. Look for tells, or hints they give about their actions. Tells can be anything from a twitch to talking too much. One tell that is easily identified is a players betting habits. Some players bet big when they have nothing hoping to push other players off of a pot, while others bet low or even check with the best hand. They do this hoping to get raised or called. Professionals often refer to that as setting a trap. The ability to read a p[layers actions is arguably the most important skill in poker.

Next we discuss the odds of making a hand. This is not a difficult skill to sharpen. It is basically a matter of knowing the ranking of the cards, the number of each type of card in a deck, and watching how other players react to their own hands. The first two parts of this are self explanatory, hands are ranked according to poker rules, there are fifty-two cards in a deck, four suits containing thirteen cards each, and there are four of each type of card(aces,kings,queens,etc.). The third part is a bit tougher, and goes back to reading an opponent. If you can read their actions as they collect their cards and make their actions, you may be able to figure out what cards they were holding. Raises

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