On the elevation of theory in poker
Until now, I have been an ardent admirer of the merits of poker theory and rigorous research. However, I must also stress that I do not believe that theory is all-powerful. Some players,...
Until now, I have been an ardent admirer of the merits of poker theory and rigorous research. However, I must also stress that I do not believe that theory is all-powerful. Some players,...
Now think about how many players you actually know who have feelings. Make a mental list. How many of them are really like that? I'd be surprised if you knew more than five players...
Following on from the last themes, let's consider how the myth of the emotion-driven player can arise at all. How can someone who does not analyse his hand at all become a good player? It is...
As we have discussed before, there are four phases of learning in order to master any skill: Unconscious incompetence Conscious incompetence Conscious competence Unconscious competence A little...
So far we have explored a number of learning mechanisms, but if we want to fully understand their implications in this game, we need to discuss the concept of a player guided by feelings. This person...
There are certain features of our brain structure that are deeply ingrained. One of these is context-dependent memory. Context-dependent memory means that...
Another well-known feedback error is hero calls. Think back to the last time you made such a call with ace high in a big pot. If you were right,...
The cognitive bias of loss aversion argues that people are inherently irrational risk takers. They overestimate loss aversion and underestimate the potential earnings. For example: if you are 300bb...
We've already discussed things like isolated exercises and dress rehearsals that can make our game more conscious. But in general, playing poker is more deceptive than something...
The rule says: "10,000 hours of deliberate play are required to achieve mastery". What exactly is deliberate play? Erikson argued that it is not enough to simply use a skill many times. This is what...