If you have more than a casual interest in poker then chances are your game is constantly evolving as you learn and apply new strategies.  While evolution happens on a continuum there are certain phases that a typical poker player will go through during his/her evolution.  I have classified those phases and what goes through the player’s head at that point in their evolution while playing a hand of NL Texas Hold ‘em.

The Noob
This player has maybe played a few home tournaments or watched some poker on TV.  They understand hand rankings and have a basic understanding of the rules (like when to bet, etc).  They only think about their hand and don’t pay a lot of attention to what anyone else might have or what they are representing.  They like to see a lot of “cheap flops” in the hopes of hitting a “good hand”.   Basically, they will play any two cards from any position.  The Poker Noob has no idea about odds and thinks poker is all about luck. 

What is going through his/her head during a hand:
“Oh look!  I have two cards.  They are the same suit.  A 10 and a 5.  Cool.  Ok.  The guy right after the button just raised.   I like suited cards, so I’ll call.  Hmmm.. the guy 2 seats to my left raised.  That other guy called.  Well, I’ve already put in some money so I might as well put in some more to see the flop, so I’ll call”.  


The Beginner
The Beginner has realized that he/she has a true interest in poker and is starting to think about ways to improve.  The Beginner is starting to understand that playing “tight is right” and is starting to tighten up his/her pre-flop ranges.  They have learned about pot odds and implied odds and are using those to determine if they should make a call.  They do not yet understand the power of position as they will play the same hands from any position on the table.  They do not understand bet sizing and are not able to read their opponents. A lot of times a Beginner will overplay their strong pre-flop hands like AA, KK, QQ, because they’ve tightened up to the point that they refuse to lay down those premium hands post-flop even when it appears they are likely beaten.

What is going through his/her head during a hand:
“I’m on the button.  The guy before me limped in.  I have 10 and 5 of hearts.  That is a crappy hand.  I fold.”


The Intermediate Player
The Intermediate player has read a few books and is starting to understand some key concepts like the power of position, 3 betting, stealing, blind defense, bluffing, and semi-bluffing, etc.  However, they do not yet have the intimate understanding of these strategies and more specifically, don’t have a grasp on the rationale behind why these strategies are effective.  Therefore, they will often apply them without a lot of thought or thinking it all the way through.  They are improving their post flop play and hand ranging skills.  They have seen/read about how it is sexy and profitable to play a loose and aggressive (LAG) style like Durrrr (Tom Dwan) or Gus Hanson, so they start to abandon their comfortable TAG style and experiment in playing a LAG style.  Unfortunately, the intermediate player will often struggle with this transition because they are not yet strong enough with hand ranging and post flop play to effectively play a LAG style.  Accordingly, their results will suffer until they get more experience in these areas.  Intermediate players will often deal with one or both of two nasty poker-related syndromes:  MUBS (Monsters Under the Bed Syndrome), which causes the player to believe that if the board gets scary or their opponent gets aggressive they are beat; and FPS (Fancy Play Syndrome), which causes a player to make fancy plays instead of the straight forward play.

What is going through his/her head during a hand:
“I’m on the button.  The guy before me limped in.  I have 10 and 5 of hearts.  That is a crappy hand.  However, I just read a post on the forums about isolating limpers.  I’m going to raise to isolate this guy.”


The Advanced Player
The Advanced player has been around the block and have had that “aha moment” where it all seems to comes together.  They’ve played enough hands and they’ve read enough about strategy (in books or forums) to the point that not only do they know all the common strategies, they understand “why” those strategies work.  They no longer play one set in stone strategy.  They are neither a TAG nor LAG but are capable of adapting their strategy based on table dynamics, their position at the table, the opponent’s position at the table, stack sizes, how an individual player plays, etc.  They are superb hand-readers and know how to exploit opponents based on the understanding of their opponents’ ranges as well understanding what their opponents perceive their range to be.  They consistently maximize their earnings when ahead and minimize their losses when behind.   They’ve also learned (usually through experience) about how tough variance can be and have established and follow a solid bankroll strategy.  

What is going through his/her head during a hand:
“I’m on the button.  The guy before me limped in.  I have 10 and 5 of hearts.  That is a crappy hand.  However, based on my previous experiences, I know this guy likes to limp with small pocket pairs.  Most of the time he folds to a 3-bet or will fold to a continuation bet on the flop.  Both of the blinds tend to fold to a steal more than 90% of the time so I’m not concerned that they will try and make a move on me.  Therefore, the most profitable move for me is to 3-bet and plan to fold to a raise from the blinds or the limper.  I will cbet any flop with the plan of shutting down if called/raised on the flop and my hand does not improve.”


The Professional
This is the pinnacle of poker evolution.  They are the elite; the best of the best.   A poker professional player makes the majority of their income from playing poker. They have all the qualities of an advanced player, but are much more honed.  Their instincts are incredible.  All but the most difficult decisions are automatic for them. They have mastered all the strategies (both common and advanced), they know why these strategies work and they know when to properly employ them.  They very rarely make mental errors.  They very rarely will find themselves in a game where they don’t have a significant edge (if for some reason they did, they are savvy enough to recognize they don’t have an edge and leave).  They have perfected hand reading to the point that other players at the table feel like the professional can “read their soul.”  They play the players instead of playing the cards and as such they do not have to rely on their hand strength as much as most poker players do.  They are able to outplay most any opponent post-flop (note that “outplay” does not mean “bluff” – it means extracting the most when ahead and losing the least when behind).

What is going through his/her head during a hand:
I really don’t know for sure since I haven’t come close to reaching this point, but I imagine its something like:  “I haven’t looked at my cards yet and it doesn’t matter.  A weak player limped in from early position, and 1 other weak player called.  They both likely have small pocket pairs, maybe a suited connector or something else they aren’t particularly proud of.  I’m going to raise and expect to take it down pre-flop.  If not, I am confident I will be able to outplay them post flop.”   

Where are you in your poker evolution?  


Until next time, good luck at the tables!  If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future articles, please feel free to leave a comment, post on the message boards, or drop an email to:  dougfieselman@ymail.com.