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Poker, good poker, is less about the cards you are holding and more about the cards your opponents think you have in your hand. Does that mean that you should bluff - attempting to win with bluster and bravado - on every hand. Absolutely not! That is a fool's errand.

Winning at poker requires more than just knowing how the hands rank, or knowing the odds of getting the particular card, or cards, you are looking for.

And, more than just luck.

Winning at poker requires that you be part scientist, part crazy tourist, part mathematician, and part TV evangelist. Winning consistently, requires being able to look your opponents in the eye and read their mind. It requires allowing them to look you in the eye and see your winning hand reflected there. You must convince them with your voice, with your eyes, with your steady hand and confident, competent betting that yours is the superior hand regardless of what they are holding in theirs.

Mission Control

Scientists at NASA have to be paying close attention to what they're doing. The wrong numbers in an equation and a rocket destined for Mars could end up on Europa. Or nowhere. Images and data returned from the far flung robotic explorers have to be examined and deciphered. And somebody has to decide what to do next.

Most amateur poker players are more concerned with what they have in their hand then what anybody else at the table has. Consequently, they will bet accordingly, or give little tell-tale signs in their voice, or eyes or non-betting actions. Hence, our use of the term scientist. Observe. Catalog. Pay attention to what everyone at the table does in every situation. Every action, of each player should mean something to you if your desire is to improve both your play and your winnings.

Shine On You Crazy Diamond

We're all familiar with the Buckingham Palace Guards with their rigid, unflinching attention while on duty. One could safely predict that short of an actual assault on the palace, nothing would get them to move from their station. The tourists that pass by them each day are another story entirely. It is impossible to predict what they may say or do in an attempt to distract the guards.

Avoid becoming like the guards: staid and predictable to a fault. Be spontaneous like those crazy tourists. Remember, just as you are scanning your opponents for a "tell", they may be doing the same, looking for a giveaway from you.

But I Hate Math

When you are buying a new car, you head to the dealership with

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