The Most Dangerous Path You Can Take As A Poker Player, And How To Avoid It:
Remember the last time you thought you knew what your opponent was thinking?
You probably didn't even realize that you were projecting.
You may not even know what that word means:
Projection:
"The unconscious transfer of one's own desires or emotions to another person."
Lets break it down in poker terms:
At the core, the thought process you assign to an opponent during a hand is usually based off one of these two things:
1. What YOU think would make sense in their shoes.
2. What YOU believe other people "like them" are thinking.
As poker pros, we typically project our own thought process onto other pros at the table:
"Their range will probably look like *this* here, because they're supposed to be good."
Blindly assuming they see the spot the the same way we do.
Against recreationals, we often project a slew of different stereotypes:
"They could have anything here, I need to be careful."
"I can't bluff the fish off a hand."
"I'll just tighten up and wait for them to punt."
All ideas that data shows us to be flat out wrong.
People ask me:
"Why do you use population analysis to train poker players?"
Simple:
Data helps you clear out your projections.
So you can actually understand how people BEHAVE.
INSTEAD of guessing at how they think.
That's your new priority:
Understanding how people BEHAVE in certain zones.
So you can stop spinning fiction when what you really need is an answer.
"But the data isn't complete, Nick. Not all pros and regs play the same way!"
I'm with you.
But knowing the *average* behavior of those player profiles is the stone cold nuts for clear-thinking, stable execution.
The type of execution that results in more accuracy using less thought.
The type of execution that gets you playing more hands with less stress.
-Maximum volume
-Maximum winrate
-Maximum earning power
I run @PokerDetox, a data-driven poker team that transforms online SSNL players into HSNL crushers.
Our Cash and MTT teams did $10M in winnings over the last 3 years.
If you're ready for a new story, check out our site and send us a message.
pokerdetox.com
If you'd like to speak personally with our training and recruitment officers:
Join our public Discord server and PM them directly.
I also answer the top voted poker question there every week, totally free.
Get in there ⬇️
discord.gg/FxS8BRXvqY