If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a million times: poker is a game of psychology. Of course, there’s plenty of other considerations: the cards you’re holding, the competition you’re up against and the ubiquitous statistical notion known simply as odds. But psychology must be counted right up there among the most important secrets to successful poker. How do you turn a poor hand into a winner? Sometimes you can’t. But you can make your competition THINK you’ve got a winner, and that’s just as good. In this section you’ll find some specific psychological concepts that can only help your game.

Changing Pace – You might be tempted to let the good times roll if things are going well for you. This, however, might be being a little short-sighted. All good poker players think about the future as well as the present, and changing pace is a common technique that will keep your opponents guessing.

Mind Games – Just as important as using psychological tricks is knowing when your opponents are using psychological tricks. In this section you’ll find an overview of the most common types of poker player, and the kinds of fakes they employ to gain the upper hand.

Tells – Whole books have been written about this subject, but to put things simply, tells are your friend. They’re the personal quirks, expressions and body language that almost every player has, the little signs that can help you decipher what your opponent is holding. Follow this link for an overview of the most common tells.