Do you think poker, free poker online or otherwise more to do with math or is it more about psychology?
As with the luck vs skill debate it’s an area that players argue over though all decent level players will agree that both math and psychology play a role in successful poker.
Some players believe that it is essential to know pot odds before deciding if you should call or not. Some will instruct you to take the tells of other players. Many believe that knowing preflop odds is a prerequisite. Some will tell you to bluff a tight player and trap a loose player.
In this article I will try to reconcile both the math and psychology parts of poker logically though no doubt the debate will continue. In many ways math and psychology are deeply connected. Knowing the pot odds is a mathematical way of playing. Yet if an opponent insists on making weak bets every Flop when you have a draw, this is something you can exploit. You call.
If you notice that an opponent is not giving mathematical attention to pot odds, then this is part of the psychological game style assessment you can make of that players character.
Usually a mathematically-inclined player will get chips because all other players are making mathematically ill-advised moves. And such a situation in itself is a psychological analysis – playing styles are revealed and these can be taken advantage of.
Usually, a math player is believed to play the cards; a psychological player plays the other players.
These distinctions are not so hard-fast, and many players can effectively do both. A math player in a board of 10-7-3-4-8 will bet or call a bet with A-7, if only he psychologically knows that (1) the board cards are small so that it would not help the other players, and (2) the opponent should raise if he has a hand better than top Pair. Both analyses are mathematical [note the 'small' in (1) and the 'better' in (2)] and psychological ['other players' in (1) and 'opponent should raise' in (2)].
Poker math and psychology, then it seems are joined at the hip. Yet you will get scenarios where one or the other gets the upper hand (very much as in say forex trading where at times technical trading will trump fundamental trading and vice versa). For example, you use pot odds to call when on a draw. When you are short-stacked, you move all-in with a small Pair. When the table is so tight, you bluff without remembering at your hand. On a loose table, you wait for a trap.
In exceptional situations, they go together. Against a good player, you mix-up your play. This means playing in a way so random (math) that the other players get bothered over their inability to get a read from you (psychology). And when someone moves all-in against you when you have a marginal hand, you determine your stack size relative to him and use some pot odds (math) and figure out the chances he may be bluffing or trying to steal with a more marginal hand, and this requires a track history (psychology).
Mixing math and psychology in poker is not something you can learn overnight. For best result practice hard on free poker games sites at first and when, only when, you are confident, move up to low stakes cash games.
And what better place to practice your poker math and mind games than at free poker online site http://www.NoPayPOKER.com where you can play free poker games 24-7 with no fear of losing money like you do at on money sites while still winning real cash.
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