Manipulating Opponents in Poker
There are several things that distinguish Poker from other card games, but clearly psychology is one of the most conspicuous. This is something that you should strive to work on, because it is such a vital aspect of any winning Poker strategy.
"Psychological battles" in Poker take many forms, but the most common is that of bluffing, semi bluffing, slow playing and overcalling. These are well known Poker strategies, and something that even new players use all the time. What they do not realize is that the mental attitude of an individual plays a big part in determining its success or failure.
For an overcalling Poker strategy to work, it is important that you are certain that you have the nuts, and that you are in a position wherein there will be others who have yet to act. Normally when you have the nuts in Poker you will raise, but what you want to do is just call. This way you will lull your opponents into thinking that you do not have a strong hand, so they will call or raise.
A Poker strategy somewhat related to overcalling is that of slow playing. In this instance you will again try to manipulate your opponents by keeping your hands low key until the river where you will bet big.
Bluffing in Poker is well known, but before you apply it, it is important to realize that it works better in games like No Limit than Limit Holdem, because the betting structure in the latter is such that players will have no hesitation to call you down.
Semi bluffing is a Poker strategy that is often used by a lot of players, and is similar to bluffing except that in this case, you are actually playing hands that are potential good draws. The beauty of semi bluffing is that even if you are called by the other players on the Poker table, chances are you can still make a hand.
These elements are what separate Poker from other card games, because the key for these strategies to work is that the player attempting them must be able to have a good read on the other players. A lot of times people try these tactics and they fail, because they lack the means to read the situation.
Only when you have learned the art of analyzing the other players can you apply these techniques properly. By working on the aspect of hand reading and tells you will be able to employ these tactics and gain an advantage over your opponents.