The Echo of Fear in Poker (Part I)

Poker is an inherently fearful game. No matter how good or how experienced a player you are, there will always be situations that you fear. But there is a clear difference in the amount of fear we feel when playing poker, and each player feels it differently.

It is normal to feel fear as you prepare to make a big check-raise bluff or 3-bet on the river. It is only natural to feel fear when moving towards unfamiliar territory or making extremely risky moves. So you shouldn't worry if making a big three-buyin bluff scares you, it would scare everyone.

But what if there is a fear of a particular opponent? Or flips? The more sensitive the player's sense of fear, the more toxic it is to the game itself.

Let's start with the fear of a specific opponent. It is very common for newer or weaker players to fear well-known or established opponents. Many people have experienced this phenomenon in their careers. Very often, when someone takes a shot at me, they suddenly take a shot at themselves. They start to make abnormal bluffs or strange strategies and constantly play too crazy (because they think that there is no other way to hold out against me) or they start to play very conservatively (because they are afraid that they can't cope with the aggression from me). Quite often I just sit back and play very simply, without complicating the game, letting my opponents do the work for me and exploit themselves.

There's no reason to be afraid of players you haven't played against before. All poker players are beatable, even at the highest level. Even players like Phil Ivey or Phil Galfond, who have mastered the poker of the gods, make mistakes, I assure you. They have their own tells, their own patterns of play, they make mistakes and they can be exploited. When I came to high limits and started playing against opponents who were once my heroes in low limits, I learned this lesson quickly. Everyone I once idealised was just a poker player. The fascinating stories I had heard about them eventually made no difference. They betrayed their tells, had bad habits or allowed themselves to be manipulated like anyone else. So, if you face an opponent you haven't played with before, remind yourself that they are just another poker player. If you can figure out their habits, you win. Simple.

But there is another side to the coin. If you consistently lose to specific opponents, you will often start be afraid. Gradually, they will start to look like giants that will crush you before you can even try. It happens to everyone. I have had many such opponents that other regs could easily defeat, but to me they seemed insurmountable. There will always be a couple of opponents who will have a good run against you. Statistics say that during your career, you will periodically come up against such players. And it will always seem to us that there are better players. Maybe they have picked up on your habits and weaknesses, or maybe you haven't adapted to them at all. We will always be afraid of such opponents. And that fear will affect our perception of them and, as a result, will affect our daily decisions during the game.

My advice is usually to avoid such players. There is no point in trying to play with them and putting pressure on yourself (unless they are exceptionally fishy opponents). The fact that you are afraid of them is a big handicap, it is pointless to fight an unequal battle. You should not be ashamed of throwing your opponent. There are always more fish in the sea.

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