Thought process while in hands....

Hi, guys this is my first post here, and its a difficult one...well for me anyway! I am looking for insights and advice as too the thought process one should strive to have during hands in tourneys. I mean i have the basic odds and probabilities/ stage of tourney/ type of opponent etc etc, but im looking for maybe something more intricate...basically im trying to acheive Phil Ivey's thought process when he's playing LMAO! Right! I have a pretty well rounded knowledge of the game and tons of experience but when it comes down to a hand deep in a tourney I seem to freeze and have no idea what i should be thinking about at the moment! I know, I know..Thats horrible, lol....Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Position. Pot size. Your hand strength relative to your opponent's. Image, is your opponent playing tight/loose, does he perceive you as tight/loose, any reads. Is your opponent thinking about you at all or is he too busy drooling/incapable of conscious thought? How big a pot you want to play (how much can you get him to commit without his range getting stronger than your hand).

I think you should also be thinking about why you're doing what you're doing. Is it rational or emotional, just routine or situational?

Add in the complexities of tournaments which I'm thoroughly unaware of and some more relevent stuff that I've forgotten and as long as your head doesn't explode you should do okay.

One thing that's hard for me to do consistently is to think and commit as much information as I should to memory or notes so that when I face a decision where more information of an opponent's tendencies would help, I have it. I'm working on getting better, but it's a slow process, partly because it means I have to focus much more instead of letting my attention wander, which is a whole lot easier.

Playing online, or live?

Playing live you get a lot more information through your eyes and ears - playing online you get a lot more information through your HUD.

Old boy who you KNOW is multi-tabling and showing a 12/8 after a hundred hands on your left? Guess what - raise his blinds and take them down - just hope he doesn't catch on.

Live? A board with straight possibility to your overpair, and fishy opponent is staring at the board - and you can almost see him counting to five? Well - when a straight card comes on the river and his posture changes? Check/fold.

While your question has it's merit, it is far too vague for even the most knowledgable poker player to answer for 'any given hand'. I would reccomend browsing the hand analasys forums - there is a wealth of information in there and multiple people ussually comment on their ideas of the hand.

Aside from that, play a few hands, and when one suits you as interesting, post the hand in that thread and see what other people think.

hands

you have to consider everything when playing a hand, here are some things you need to take into account.
1. the read you have on the player from previous hands, is he aggressive or tight, what hands does he usually bet with after the flop?
2. the betting that has taken place in the hand.
3. the hand you have and what you think he has.
4. whether you are able to make that bluff on the river or not.

all these help you become a great player and help you to minimise your losses and maximise your winnings.

Taken from phil gordons little green book...

1. How are my opponents playing? Conservatively? Aggressively? Tentatively?
2. What are some of the hands my opponents are likely to hold?
3. What do my opponents think I have?
4. Am I in good position or bad position?

After processing the answers to those questions, I move on to the most important questions.

5. Should I bet (or raise)?

• If I think I have the best hand, I nearly always answer yes, and I bet or raise
• If I think I can force weak opponents out of the pot with this bet or future bets, I nearly always answer yes, and I bet or raise
• If I have a good draw and i think there is a good chance that my opponents will fold, I nearly always answer yes, and I bet or raise

6. Should I check (or fold)?

• If I think I have the worst hand, I nearly always answer yes, and I check or fold
• If I think my opponents are strong, I nearly always answer yes, and I check or fold
• If I'm on a draw but not getting a good price, I nearly always answer yes, and I check or fold

If after careful analysis, I dont think I should raise and I don't think I should fold, i feel confident that calling a bet (or checking) is correct.

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