Poker is inherently a fear-inducing game. No matter how good or experienced a player you are, there will always be situations you fear. But there is a clear difference in the amount of fear we feel while playing poker; each player feels it differently.
Feeling fear when preparing to make a big check-raise bluff or a 3-bet on the river is normal. Moving into unfamiliar territory or taking extremely risky actions, it's completely natural to feel fear. So you shouldn't worry if making a big, three buy-in bluff scares you; it would scare anyone.
But what if you fear a specific opponent? Or flips? The more sensitive a player is to 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 face this phenomenon in their careers. Very often, when someone takes a shot at me, they suddenly “psych themselves out.” They start making abnormal bluffs or weird twisted strategies and constantly play too crazily (because they think there's no other way to survive against me) or start playing extremely conservatively (because they fear they can't handle aggression from me). Quite often, I just lean back and play very simply, not complicating the game, letting the opponents do the work for me and exploit themselves.
There is no reason to fear players you haven't played against yet. All poker players are beatable, even at the highest level. Even players like Phil Ivey or Phil Galfond, who have mastered the game like gods, I assure you, make mistakes. They have their tells, their game patterns, they make mistakes, and they can be exploited. When I came to play at high limits and started playing against opponents who were once my heroes when playing at lower limits, I quickly learned this lesson. Everyone I once idealized was just a poker player. The impressive stories I had heard about them eventually made no difference. They revealed their tells, had bad habits, or were manipulated like anyone else. So, if you face an opponent you haven't played against yet, remind yourself that it's just another poker player. If you can figure out their habits, you'll win. Simple.
But there is another side to the coin. If you constantly lose to specific opponents, you will often start to fear them
. Gradually, they will start to look like giants who crush you before you even get a chance to try. This happens to everyone. I had quite a few such opponents whom other regulars easily defeated, but to me, they seemed unbeatable. There will always be a couple of opponents who have a good run against you. Statistics say that during your career, you will periodically encounter such players. And we will always think there are better players. Maybe they have perfectly understood your habits and weaknesses, or maybe you are not adapting to them at all. We will always fear such opponents. And that fear will affect our perception of them, and as a result, it will affect the daily decisions made during the game.
Usually, my advice is to avoid such players. There is no need to try to play against them and push yourself (unless they are exceptionally fishy opponents). The fact that you fear them is a big obstacle; it's pointless to fight an unequal battle. You shouldn't be ashamed to fold against an opponent. There are always more fish in the sea.
