How To Develop Your Instinct (Part 1)

Written by Nigel

We talked about simplifying things when playing poker last time.  What I didn’t mention is that one way you can simplify things is when you have honed your poker instinct.  What do I mean?  In contrast to analyzing the odds and the psyche of the players around you, making decisions by instinct is something intuitive.  For some people, this poker instinct is innate.  For others, it has to be developed.  Here are some ways you can develop your poker instinct.

Play, play, and then play some more.  Read up on any material about poker and you will see one word recurring – experience.  Nothing beats experience when it comes to sharpening one’s skills AND instincts.  Being immersed in various different situations gives you a feel of the game that cannot be matched by all the theoretical analyses in the world.  Take the lead from athletes of other games, what do they do? They train intensely knowing that only in actually participating in the sport will they be able to reach peak condition.  Cliché as it may be, practice makes perfect.

No matter how much you play, if you do not focus totally on the game, you will not achieve much.  That is another requisite for honing your poker instinct – total focus.  The tendency for poker players is to loosen up after they fold.  They are not part of the hand anymore.  So their minds wander wherever.  Do not make this mistake!  After folding, there is no excuse to lose your focus.  Pay attention at all times!