Monday 30 September 2019

Intuition As it Applies to Poker

As a poker player who knows the basic rules of many of the games having read many articles both general and specific on the various games and have played several hands of them yourself, you know what to do with your cards. But can you play? You know how complicated the game can be and if you have any drive, you will not be satisfied with this. Now what do you do?
You will, of course, continue your diligent play and book learning, and will continue to observe and analyze your opponents. This is just a start. Encyclopedic knowledge of the game does not a true player make.
The above mentioned answer omits the issue of intuition. It is not enough only to learn from the best; the shoulders of the tallest giants will only take that high if you do not stretch out to your fullest height. The most talented players were always the ones who knew which part of the science of poker to ignore, the ones with enough independence to follow their intuition.
Intellectuals cram their minds with the thoughts of great thinkers. Poets' minds are crammed with their own thoughts. The poetic player will be an independent thinker and draw his own conclusions from experience and yes, intuition. The talented players compile from their observations and experience a creative method of play that is unique to them. This drives their opponents' wild.
This is the reason why memorizing rules and playing many hands is simply not enough to make a true player, and why this ilk will forever remain shrouded in mystery. The true player's strategy is impossible to uncover at its core because he or she formulated it alone. Even the most diligent of amateurs will never solve the puzzle.
There is only one solution to this problem and one which talented players independently intuit: one has to commit not merely to intense mechanical practice but to intense re-imagining of mechanically acquired knowledge. One must develop not only observational but also imaginative skill in order to prevent amateurs from predicting your decisions. Independence and intuition, in fact, imply a certain degree of ignorance. There is, however, a crucial difference between common ignorance and imaginative independence: common ignorance is complacent and not meant as a means of self improvement; but when you rely on your personal intuition, you know precisely what you ignore and why and you are always working to improve in a specific known direction.
No one has the time to read everyone's insight into the game. The intuitive player will make his own choices on issues that he has specifically targeted. He knows when to stop reading and start playing. Scholars will boast that they have read every book written on the subject, and probably have. But the intuitive poker poet plays better.

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