The next aspect of the idea of centrality in poker is psychological. In the previous article, we asserted that understanding the center-based idea is simple. But what exactly does “simple” mean?
This word has many different meanings. Let's say that “simple” hands are those that do not require a lot of psychological poker knowledge to make a decision. We can say that most of them are performed automatically.
A position close to the center is simple because the opponent will make a decision almost unconsciously. This means that for situations very close to the center, he will pay little attention. Knowing that he handles such situations easily, he will direct his attention elsewhere. Positions far from the center have the opposite effect. As soon as your opponent finds himself in a complex situation, his conscious attention will be shaken, the autopilot will turn off, and he will return to the battlefield.
This is an important psychological position in the poker game. Knowing where the opponent directs his attention while playing is vital. If you can tell where he is focused, you can better predict his actions.
We can conclude that in well-known situations (situations close to the center), the opponent will play on autopilot, and if you can “read” his playing style at that time, this knowledge will be useful. For example, if someone really likes to perform action x or is inclined to action y, you can freely expect such an action in a position close to the center, but as soon as a situation far from the center arises, the opponent will immediately change, and his psychology will change.
In other words, a player's autopilot is a pre-calculated action program. It is a set of algorithms formed by past events, played sessions, and video reviews. As soon as the autopilot turns on, the player trusts it. But if a person finds himself in a new, unfamiliar situation, he has to concentrate all his attention and find a solution using his theoretical knowledge and reasoning. This happens only when the player is focused on the new hand. It is likely that deviating from the usual poker strategy, the opponent will be thrown off balance and psychologically.
Positions close to the center and far from it are processed differently, and such understanding will allow predicting what would otherwise seem like psychological anomalies.
Let me illustrate this with an example. Imagine you are playing a game against a strong opponent who really nemėgsta nusimetinėti and usually calls. So far, you have been adjusting to him by showing only good hands in big pots. We can conclude that in situations close to the center, he will probably maintain his style by calling every time, as this is his automatic play. He has mentally chosen such a strategy as effective against you. But as soon as you move further from the center, he will suddenly become keenly alert. You can make a big bet on the river, and it will be clear that he will need to reconsider his hand. If you are attentive, you will notice how he applies all the experience from your game so far, that you have shown only good hands and have a strong image. He will probably think: “This guy only does this when he has something good” and will fold. He will simply deviate from his chosen strategy.
Such a fold may seem incomprehensible and unpredictable to someone who does not know this concept, but good players can predict it with incredible accuracy. They may not describe it in the same words (or even be able to describe the process itself), but they perform such maneuvers very often.
In conclusion, it can be added that the idea of centrality, at best, is a principle to keep in mind. In the game, everything depends on much more than just centrality, and a strategy that only pushes people into positions far from the center will seem manic. Rather, the center-based idea is simply a way to understand the dynamics of poker caused by adaptation, aggression, and comfort. All these elements are important in a changing game.
