Opponents 101

Knowing your opponent, regardless of the game, is an important skill. You should be aware of what to do, and what not to do, when it comes to playing against another.

For example, spending time and energy trying to confuse and read your opponent is a waste of time. Odds are, you are using precious thinking time trying to throw them off and they aren’t even noticing your efforts. This includes bluffing. You may be under the assumption that this is what professionals do, but you are trying to run before you can even walk. Focus on the important aspects, and implement what you know, not what you think you know.

You can never study so much, practice so much, that you will always win and be unstoppable. Every poker player is constantly a student. Every player is different, which means what you have studied for years will all go out of the window if their methods, body language, and playing style is different. All of these are details that create how they play, and no two players are the same. You instead have to study on how to adapt, and change your play, or react accordingly, based on them.