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As more people become used to the cold calculation of odds used by online poker, some of the art of playing poker live gets lost. The psychological aspects that make the game more exciting, like bluffing and intimidation, and learning to judge other players’ body language are no longer needed when players sit in front of a computer. If you have been playing at a computer too long, or if you are a novice poker player, here are some tips to help improve your game when you play live.
Watch the other players to see what their tells are, or what they do that indicates they are bluffing. Some of the more common signs that a player is lying are facial twitches, restlessness with the hands, and fidgeting. Be warned. More experienced players are often able to imitate these tells to throw off other players. Also, don’t start attributing actions to bluffing until you have gauged that it isn’t an indication of excitement or just a nervous tick under pressure.
Live poker has three general categories of bluffing. The straight bluff is when a player pays out a lot of money to intimidate the other players. This is used to make opponents believe you have a really good hand when you don’t. Semi bluffing occurs when a player hopes to improve the hand they are dealt. With this type of bluff you have to have something that could turn into a really good hand after acquiring more cards; you have to have a foundation for a better hand. The slow play is like the straight bluff, but the player starts with a good hand and works to draw the other players into the game for higher stakes. In a slow play, you want to give the other players confidence that your hand is alright, but you are not sure that it will be good enough. Then when it comes time to play, you stun the group with an unbeatable hand.
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