Some may think that the talent of unraveling what lurks in their opponents mind is the secret to playing poker well. It might also be considered that If one could attend a class or seminar on the science of the unconscious mind while indulging in games of chance that it would be a great help to their game. No way. If one was able to be taught how to read another’s mind and discover their various neuroses in the process, it would still be no guarantee of a win.

When thinking of poker, one would think of it as a game of strategy rather than one of psychoanalysis. Strategy is only one of the components of winning play, however. Getting into your opponent’s head is the essence of smart play. This does not mean that you must suffer while he goes over the details of his life story ad nauseum.

Outstanding players, like outstanding artists, don’t get that way from reading a manual. They progress intuitively, summoning their powers of observation, diligently practiced and enhanced over a period of many years.

You have probably noticed a dearth of technical manuals dealing with the psychology of poker. That brings us right to the crux of this issue. Whatever tips and advice may be out there for you to read up on, you cannot put them to practical use without your own sense of intuition that is achieved by putting your own thought processes to work beyond the grasp of your opponent.

Most players will lose more than they win because they depend on strict models of play, much like computer programs, or simulations that present themselves as predictions to be used robotically by the savvy player. This could be quite simple depending on the number of variables involved in the prediction.

A talented player will spurn any computer-spun model and make their own decisions on how to play their game and their opponents’ game. They are led by intuition into observations that they then combine into rules of play according to their creative imagination and wit. The strategy that comes out of this is distinctively their own. No matter how complex or how elegantly simple their secret strategy is, it makes them less vulnerable.

You will never find a great artist or a great player divulging his secrets. They may write books, give lectures, advice and tips, but not on the really good stuff. It seems like a great service they perform by letting us mere mortals in on such tidbits. But don’t be fooled. They did not rise to the top of their professions by reading and heeding someone else’s great tips.

It would seem that the most vital element in becoming a master artist in any genre is commitment to study and practice to develop one’s own observational skills and imagination by engaging in the activity in which you want to become great. In this way you will be independent in your thoughts and actions and master the ability to do your thing in a way that is uniquely your own. Only you are privy to the minute details of your “thing.”

Everyone is familiar with the common concept of bluffing, for example; but the best bluffers are those who do it consistently in a way which other players, no matter how smart or experienced, have no way of “reading.” And the only way to be able to do that is to employ a well muscled intuition which only you have access to.

You will have to work hard to develop your unique manner of play. Even more difficult though is to have the courage and independence to use your carefully developed imagination in successful ways while sometimes appearing idiotic. This personal quirk will lead to a spirit of discovery and innovation that will set you ahead of the pack.

At this point, a look into the processes that make up intuition might be in order. In fact we all have intuition. Few have the initiative and guts to tune it up and make use of it. To get results, you must develop and work on your own unique intuition. It doesn’t fall from the sky and it cannot be taught.

Which brings to mind the old vaudeville routine: “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” Practice, practice, practice.

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