Theatrical Time Taking in Poker
Category: Poker
When it comes to important decisions in poker, it will always be important to take your time and come to the right decision. This time which is taken to reach your decision can however, often serve as a tell for your opponent to read.
If you are taking a long time to reach a decision, the obvious conclusions your opponent will draw, is that your hand is not overly strong. They will however be aware also, that your time taking may be a ploy to mislead them.
When playing poker, there will always be times when you have to think carefully about what to do next. In this instance, you want your opponent to be wondering if you are just taking your time to throw them off track, and to create this impression of theatrical time taking, you need to do it with a strong hand sometimes too.
It all comes down to mixing up your play. You never want your opponent to be able to conclusively draw correct information about your play on a regular basis. I personally like to take my time often when I know I have the best hand out there, and that applies to online poker as well as live games. This immediately puts the possibility of you being indecisive about your hand, into the mind of the opposition. Maybe only one time in ten this will lure your opponent into raising you again on the turn, but it is still worth doing because you don’t lose anything by trying this.
If you feel your opponent may be experienced and wise to this sort of play perhaps try somthing differently entirely, just to see what works best. If you call instantly and confidently with the best hand, there is always a chance your opponent will feel you are falsely attempting to convey strength too, and call. As always, mix up your play, and be willing to try different strategies to make the most of your opportunities.