Gambling Guide

Poker is a multi-faceted game that values many skills, including the psychology involved in playing against your competitors. For example, many games often end with a very weak hand, such as a pair of sevens, beating a weaker hand, such as a pair of threes. Your hand doesn't have to be the best hand possible. It simply has to be better than those still active in the hand.

Discerning the likely holdings your opponents have is a skill. Reading poker tells -- twitches, trembles, and other signs -- might give you a clue as to what your opponent has. Mastering the psychology of poker is a crucial part of reading tells, as well a larger decisionmaking.

Poker psychology boils down to your ability to observe how others play, and use that experience to judge how your opponents may be playing in the current hand. The simplest layer of poker psychology is to watch what your opponents visibly do based on their own cards. For example, tracking the betting patterns of each player.

By observing patterns, players can make informed judgements in response.