The Difference Between Being Ahead of Your Opponents and Situations When They are Ahead of You

One step ahead of the game

There are many similarities between poker and chess, because speed is not of the essence while tactics are. Luck factors in when playing no limit hold’em but for poker professionals, even this erratic element can be tackled by having a firm understanding of pot and implied odds. The parallels are staggering and one of the things that these two games have in common is the fact that players need to stay one step ahead of the game all the time.

If you only think about your current move and cannot envision the way the hand will unfold after the next betting round, you're basically a victim. Players need to think a few steps in advance and not only predict what their opponents might do, but also think about what their next action should be depending on what the board brings.

The latter take much longer and that's why players are compelled to have a functional strategy, but also a backup plan in case things take a dramatic turn. Whether it is for the better or worse, players need to be able to react in a convincing manner and offset losses or increase profits every single time. A mediocre hand can bring in a lot of money, while a premium one can lead to the utter destruction of a bankroll if played without vision.

Players should know when they are conquered

It is not difficult to understand why poker players that spend hours in a live game waiting for a chance to be dealt a decent hand, wind up losing their entire stack in a single hand. Even if the cards are nothing to shout for, there are a handful of explanations that stick, but finding the justification for error won't bring back the money. The low-frequency of the hands is the number one threat for live poker players, because they need a lot of stamina and patience to endure a long drought.

Things are much better over the Internet where more hands are played every hour and with just a few clicks anyone can open additional tables. Being overly attached to a hand is not excusable, and those who are unable to fold some cards that they consider to be great will have plenty of bad beat stories to tell. Instead of writing long forum posts all over the Internet depicting incredible downswings, poker players of all skill levels should visit https://www.pokerinusa.net/. The articles explains the differences between live and online poker and why less aggression exists in the former.

If you play an aggressive positional game, you might not have to make a difficult decision on the turn or river, because your opponents will not pursue you so far. A premium hand that is played aggressively pre-flop will drastically limit the number of players that stay in the game, which strengthens it. Players who slow-play their hands sometimes run into hostile flops and no longer know when they are conquered.