The Bicycle Guide to Doyle Brunsons super system: a course in power poker

1. 1Classify the table before you apply pressure. Brunson's rule is to play mostly tight in a loose game and mostly loose in a tight game, so you stay in the gear most opponents are not using. Intimidation works only against players who can be moved, so the first read decides where you spend it.
2. 2Pick your targets by current mood, not reputation. For each opponent in a pot, ask whether he is on tilt and playing far below his normal level, a loser who has screwed down, a cocky winner throwing chips away, or a winner who has tightened up to protect gains. The last two are the most likely to defend or fold. Watch everyone, including players not in your pot.
3. 3Build the image by winning, then keep playing. Brunson says players are more apt to be intimidated when he is winning, and that he plays looser when ahead and tighter when behind. After you win a pot in a No-Limit game, play the next pot as well, within reason. A rush gives you temporary command of the game, and your momentum is visible to everyone.
4. 4Bet and raise with the confidence of a player who has command. Opponents who are psychologically affected by your rush make errors, and you will make the correct decisions yourself. The aim is for them to fold superior hands and avoid confrontation, so size bets to apply that pressure rather than to slow-play.
5. 5Pair aggression with judgment. Brunson has a very aggressive, loose-leaning reputation, but he exercises considerable judgment on every hand. Image gets opponents to fold, and hand reading decides when to push. Keep listening and watching, because players talk loose and play tight, then reverse it.
6. 6Choose bluff spots by the opponent's apparent weakness. Bluff when you think he does not have much, or when you suspect weakness and can move all-in. Do not try to bluff him out of a hand you think is good, because you jeopardize money for little gain.
7. 7Change gears when they start to know you. When you think they have you figured out, shift style several times in one game. Brunson even attaches a phrase like 'gee whiz' to bluffs, then says it when he is not bluffing, so his habits stop being readable.
8. 8Treat chips already bet as the pot's money. If the pressure is not working and you judge you cannot win, give the hand up, however much you have committed. Intimidation is a decision about the current situation, not a debt to recover.

Brunson's own description of a card rush is the clearest case in the passages. He is playing No-Limit Hold'em and wins a pot. He nearly always plays the next pot too, within reason. The cards break even in the long run, but a rush means more than winning a lot of pots: he has temporary command of the game, and his momentum is clear to all the players. At that point his opponents may make errors because they are psychologically affected by his rush, while his own decisions are correct. He also plays looser when winning, since players are more apt to be intimidated by him then. The counter-example is the well-known player who works out that you hold a pair of Jacks, knows his hand will not beat them, and still tries to push you off it. Brunson calls that stupid rather than aggressive. Pressure belongs where the opponent is weak, or where you can wait for him to hold little, not where he likely has you beaten.

• If you have just won a pot and are riding momentum, play the next pot too, within reason, and play looser. You are more intimidating when winning.
• If you are losing badly, tighten up rather than force pressure, and stop treating your image as an asset.
• If the table is loose and calls with weak hands, do not try to intimidate with bluffs. Wait for a good hand to bet, because they will call.
• If you think an opponent holds a good hand, let him win the pot. Bluff only when you think he has little, or you think you have him beat.
• If the opponent is a calling station or a drunk who calls every bet, do not rely on fear. You cannot take charge of that game, so wait for hands that beat him.

• Pushing against a hand you believe is strong. The tell is that you can name the opponent's likely holding, such as a pair of Jacks, and bet anyway. Brunson calls this stupid, not aggressive.
• Trying to intimidate players who cannot be scared. Loose callers and calling stations do not fold. The tell is that your bluffs get called by weak hands again and again.
• Applying pressure from a losing, tight posture and expecting respect. Brunson finds players intimidated by him when he is winning, and he plays tighter when losing. The tell is that opponents challenge your bets when you are down.
• Becoming predictable. If opponents think they know you, your pressure gets read. The tell is that a bet pattern stops working. Change gears several times, and use habits like 'gee whiz' as misdirection.
• Chasing money you already bet. Committed chips belong to the pot, so bluffing on to recover them throws good money after bad. The tell is that your reason for continuing is the amount already invested.

• ▸Table type: Loose or tight, and the gear you will play in (mostly tight vs. loose, mostly loose vs. tight).
• ▸My current standing: Winning, losing, or even. Winning means play looser, losing means tighten up.
• ▸Momentum check: Did I just win a pot? If so, plan to play the next pot within reason.
• ▸Opponent and mood: Tilt, screwed-down loser, cocky winner, or winner protecting gains.
• ▸Opponent type: Calling station, loose-drunk, tight, or solid. If he calls everything, do not rely on fear.
• ▸Say vs. do: Does he talk loose and play tight, or the reverse? Note the contradiction.
• ▸Strength estimate: Weak, moderate, or likely strong. Bluff only against weak.
• ▸Action chosen: Bet, raise, all-in bluff, or let him win the pot and wait.
• ▸Gear change due: Have they started to know me? Note the next style shift.

1. 1Pick the specific misread you want before you act. The passages show two targets: an opponent who folds a hand that beats you, and an opponent who calls or fails to raise when he holds a hand that beats you. Name the target, then choose the action.
2. 2Study the opponent first. Watch and listen to him every time he is in a hand, whether or not you are. Judge his words against his actions independently, because many players talk loose and play tight, then reverse it later. Note his mood: is he a loser on tilt, a cocky winner, or a winner who has tightened up to protect gains?
3. 3If you cannot learn what you need by watching, create the test. Bluff at him or probe him and record what he does. Treat each probe as a tell-gathering test.
4. 4Match the deception to the player's reading style. A player who reads hands well will assume the strongest reasonable holding behind your line. Give him a story consistent with a weaker or different hand. Your line must make sense to him.
5. 5Use free-card checks and soft lines when you hold a strong hand and your opponent could improve into a read. In the passage's Stud example, you check premium Aces on Fourth Street so the J-10 cannot tell you have two Aces. The goal is doubt, so he may pay you a double bet on Fifth Street or call you down to the River without improving.
6. 6Use table talk and theatrics only to produce a predictable psychological effect. Passage example: after a pat hand shows, talk so the opponent concludes you hold a Straight-Flush or nothing, and he just calls rather than re-raising with a Full House. Even if it works only occasionally, it pays because his re-raise would otherwise be mathematically in his favor.
7. 7Build a history of bizarre-looking plays so later lines are believed. Opponents who have seen you do reckless things stop doubting your story. Keep the actual price low when you throw hands away, as in folding after showing you 'almost' called.
8. 8When your cards and judgment leave you in genuine doubt about what he holds, go with your strong feeling rather than against it. Verify with the Tells you have, and call most of the time when you lack an absolute Tell.

Draw Poker, using the passage's own line. You enter with three Aces and raise. The opener only calls, so no one has re-raised yet. You draw two cards to the three Aces for maximum improvement, and the opener checks while the raiser, who stood pat, bets. You start to raise, then 'reconsider' with a dramatic show of discipline: 'I made Fours and Threes and I'm STILL not calling! If I didn't keep the Ace kicker I might even have made a Full House. Then you would have been in trouble!' You toss the hand into the discards. The impression you create is that you made a wild call with a pair of Fours and an Ace, and that you would have called or raised had two hands not been against you. Players who have watched you do bizarre things over and over do not doubt it. You have paid only the minimum price to lose with three Aces, and the table has misread your hand as weak and reckless. In the related line, the same verbal maneuvering may keep an opponent from re-raising with a Full House because he thinks you hold a Straight-Flush or nothing.

• If a player reads hands well and will bet to push you off a Pair of Jacks, then do not bet into him when you think he has a good hand; let him win the pot and bluff when you think he has little, or wait until you think you have him beat.
• If you hold a premium hand on Fourth Street and the board already discourages betting, then bet it and hope the weaker draw folds; if he calls, he is still not a favorite and more money is in the pot.
• If you are head-up with a premium Pair and your opponent has caught a card that could make him think about two Aces, then check for deception so he doubts your hand and may pay you on Fifth Street or call down.
• If the opponent might re-raise with a hand that beats you and you have no absolute Tell, then use table talk to discourage the re-raise, and call most of the time when re-raised.
• If you have studied him and still cannot read him, then go with a strong feeling rather than against it, and rely on the full toolkit of techniques first.

• Deceiving a player who is not paying attention to your line. Tell: he calls or folds on his own hand regardless of what you showed, so you spent chips on the story for nothing.
• Trusting words over actions. Tell: you believe a player's talk even though many talk loose and play tight, and later reverse it.
• Giving a free card that costs more than the doubt it buys. Tell: your checked premium hand lets an opponent improve, and everybody gets the free card you did not want.
• Making a dramatic play without the table history to support it. Tell: opponents do not accept the story because they have not seen you act recklessly over and over.
• Misreading the opponent while assuming he misread you. Tell: you cannot name his mood, tendencies, or likely hand, yet you pick a deceptive line anyway.

• ▸Opponent: name or seat, and his type (tight, solid, loose, calling station).
• ▸His current mood: loser on tilt, cocky winner, or winner protecting gains.
• ▸Words vs. actions: does he talk loose and play tight, or the reverse, and when did it last change?
• ▸Known tells: bet-size patterns, posture, tone of voice, previous habits.
• ▸Target misread: fold a better hand, or call/fail to raise when beaten.
• ▸Story I want him to believe about my hand.
• ▸My action and talk: the check, bet, or theatrics that tells that story.
• ▸Table history: recent odd plays that make the story credible.
• ▸Result and adjustment: what he did, and what I change next time.

1. 1Start with the game structure. In Limit poker you must show down the best hand most of the time to win. In No-Limit you more often than not take the pot without showing your hand. Plan your folding-out attempts around this: they are a larger share of your profit in No-Limit than in Limit.
2. 2Check the ante structure before you decide to steal. Stealing the ante is a worthless maneuver in low-ante games and a necessity in high-ante games. Steal only where the antes would otherwise drain you.
3. 3Treat garbage hands as steal material. The source's example is something like Q-7-2, a hand with no chance to win at showdown that still has a role in stealing the ante. You are betting that everyone folds, not that your cards win.
4. 4Pick your target before you bet. You can hardly bluff a Sucker at all, because he does not fold. Any good player can be bluffed. Aim at players who can fold.
5. 5Read the player's mood that day. If he is anxious to play, handle him more cautiously than you otherwise would. Do not run the same bet into someone eager to call.
6. 6Use the raise as the weapon. It takes a stronger hand to call a raise than to make one. A raise forces opponents to find a stronger hand than they would need to bet, so a hand that cannot win a showdown can still win the pot.
7. 7In Stud, size up the boards first. With a concealed hand like trips on Fifth Street against strong boards, the source's choice is to raise immediately and see whether opponents want to play a big pot. Whichever line you take, get as much money in the pot as possible without giving anybody a free card.
8. 8Size up your opponents again every time you sit down. The source says No-Limit bluffing requires real strategy and the ability to do this. Last session's read does not carry over automatically.

The source's own case is the garbage hand, something like Q-7-2, in a high-ante game. The hand has no chance to win a showdown, so it can only win by making everyone fold. In a high-ante structure you must keep winning small pots to prevent the antes from draining you, so the hand has a job. You raise because it takes a stronger hand to call a raise than to make one. Your first check is who is left to act. A Sucker is a bad target, since you can hardly bluff him at all. A good player who is not anxious to play can be folded out. If he is anxious to play, you handle him more cautiously. If everyone folds, you collect the antes without showing a card. That is the point of the play: the pot is won by the bet, not by the hand.

• If the game is high-ante, then steal antes routinely. If it is low-ante, then skip the maneuver as worthless.
• If the opponent is a Sucker, then do not bluff him. Bet your real hands for value and save the folding-out plays for good players.
• If a good opponent is anxious to play that day, then bluff him more cautiously than you otherwise would.
• If you are weighing a call against a raise with the same hand, then remember that a raise needs less strength than a call. Prefer the raise when you want the pot without a showdown.
• If you are in Limit and hold a hand that must be shown down to win, then expect to need the best hand. If you are in No-Limit, then expect to win many pots without showing a hand.

• Bluffing a Sucker. The tell: he calls with weak holdings and shows them down, so your bet buys nothing.
• Stealing antes in a low-ante game. The tell: you lose chips chasing pots that were never worth the risk.
• Treating a bluff as a hand you want to showdown. The tell: you call a raise with garbage. A call takes a stronger hand than a raise, and the garbage hand has no chance to win at showdown.
• Ignoring the opponent's mood. The tell: you run a bluff into someone anxious to play and he refuses to fold.
• Playing Limit like No-Limit. The tell: you bluff constantly in Limit, where the source says you must show down the best hand most of the time to win. Good No-Limit players bluff four or five times as often as good Limit players.

• ▸Game type (Limit / No-Limit): note how often pots end without a showdown in this game.
• ▸Ante structure (low / high): steal only if high.
• ▸Hand held: mark whether it is garbage (e.g., Q-7-2) with no showdown value.
• ▸Target player: name who you intend to fold out.
• ▸Target type (Sucker / good player): a Sucker cannot be bluffed.
• ▸Target's mood today (anxious to play / not): if anxious, bet more cautiously.
• ▸Action (bet / raise): remember a raise needs less than a call.
• ▸Free cards given (yes / no): in Stud, avoid giving any.
• ▸Result (everyone folded / called): log it to refine your reads.

1. 1Define profitability as a long-run result, not a session result. The passages state it plainly: 'In the long run, you can do nothing but make money by calling that bet; you're mathematically better off.' Judge each decision by whether it is correct over many repetitions.
2. 2Make the math the baseline. Before a call, count the pot against the price. In the Stud example, a $20 final bet into a $158 pot is worth calling if you are wrong no more than once in nine times. Compute the pot size and the break-even frequency before you fold.
3. 3Get full value from winning hands and lose less with losing hands. 'Your goal is to lose less than he does when his Full House beats your Ace-King Flush.' Every hand gets two questions: how much can I extract, and how little can I lose.
4. 4Use the either/or technique to shape the opponent's decision in your favor. Give a hard-to-read opponent a two-option story that leaves out the truth, so he calls instead of raising. The payoff is that he cannot raise you when you are beaten. Accept that it may work only one time in twenty, because each success saves money against a mathematically superior raise.
5. 5Run your talk and image on purpose. 'All the playful talking I employ at the Poker table is calculated to have a predictable psychological effect on my opponents. It is not meaningless.' Build a crazy image over many hands so your later statements get believed and your folds look reckless instead of disciplined.
6. 6Prevent bluffs with defensive calls. Call a value-priced final bet to stop opponents from bluffing you freely. In the example, a player who thought he might have the bettor beat, and knew the bettor was throwing chips around foolishly, was in a position to call with a Pair of Deuces.
7. 7Pick games by quality, not only bankroll size. 'If it's a good game, you feel good, and you aren't tired,' try it even if it is above your normal limit. Stakes up high are easier because many players there play for entertainment; low-limit pros play their best to protect a small stake.
8. 8Keep the profit you make. Money lost to side bets drains the result: the author made millions at Poker and lost most of it betting on Sports and Golf, and says 'If I had stuck to Poker, I'd probably be a far wealthier man today.' Count outside gambling in the long-run ledger.

The source's Seven-Card Stud pot arithmetic shows how a single call decides the long-run sum. In a head-up pot, a raise to $10 and a call leaves $38 after Third Street, $58 after Fourth, $98 after Fifth, $138 after Sixth, and $158 after the final $20 bet. Calling that last $20 to win $158 is correct if you are wrong no more than once in nine times. The source concludes: 'Inthe long run, you can do nothing but make money by calling that bet.' Folding forfeits the $158 each time the opponent is bluffing, and it also invites him to keep bluffing. The skill that separates good players from average ones is reaching this ultimate value on every hand. The profit is not in any single pot; it comes from repeating the correct call across many sessions.

• If the pot odds say you need to be right only 1 in 9 times (e.g., $20 to win $158), then call, even without certainty.
• If you hold the best hand and expect a raise from a hand that would beat you, then use the either/or line so the opponent just calls; if it works one time in twenty, it still saves money.
• If an opponent is playing wildly and a late-street bet looks like chip-throwing, then consider calling with a marginal hand to stop him bluffing you.
• If the game is good, you feel good, and you are not tired, then play it even above your usual limit; if you are tired or it is a tough game, leave.
• If all your card knowledge and judgment leave you in genuine doubt, then go with a strong feeling and not against it.

• Folding in value spots because you fear one bluff. Tell: you can name the pot size but not the break-even percentage, and you fold when you are wrong less than once in nine times.
• Betting everything the same way regardless of opponent. Tell: your wins are small and a hard-to-read opponent raises you out of pots.
• Fighting the wrong game. Tell: you sit in low-limit games with pros protecting small stakes while passing up high-stakes games full of entertainment players.
• Letting side action erase poker income. Tell: you are winning at the table and lose it on Golf, Sports or other bets, as the author lost over $1,000,000 playing Golf.
• Playing tired, off-form or on tilt. Tell: you lose a pot and decide on the next one while still angry or fatigued. The author gets up and walks around the chair just to cool off.

• ▸Game and limit: name the game, stakes and whether it is a game you want to be in (good game, you feel good, not tired).
• ▸Opponent type: note whether he plays for entertainment, plays to protect a stake, or is hard to read.
• ▸Pot size now: write the total chips in the pot before the decision.
• ▸Price to call: write the bet you must call.
• ▸Break-even frequency: divide the call by the pot after calling; write how often you can be wrong (e.g., 1 in 9).
• ▸Value line: write how to get the most from your hand or lose the least if beaten (bet, raise, call, either/or line).
• ▸Bluff-prevention note: record whether a defensive call stops this player bluffing you.
• ▸Outcome and lesson: record the result and whether the decision was right regardless of the result.
• ▸Side-bet ledger: list gambling outside poker this period and its net result.

1. 1Define your style before you play: be solid, not tight. The source separates the two. A tight player is conservative all the time. A solid player is tight about entering the pot and aggressive once he is in it. Most good players are solid. Pick selective entry first, then bet, raise and re-raise once you commit.
2. 2Label each opponent in the first orbit: tight, loose, or Calling Station. A loose player plays most pots, often drunk, and calls with extremely weak hands. A Calling Station is similar but rarely bets and mostly checks and calls. Write the label next to his seat. Everything else in the pressure decision depends on it.
3. 3Adjust the type of aggression to the label. Against a loose player, be patient and bet only a good hand, because he calls with garbage and a bluff gets no fold. Against a Calling Station, expect checks and calls and make the hands you do have pay. The source calls him the perfect opponent: if you can't beat a man who always checks to you, you can't beat anyone.
4. 4Re-read the opponent's mood each session instead of trusting his label. A player who doesn't feel like playing throws his hand away easily and can be bluffed. A player chewing gum and bouncing his leg came to play. Don't bluff him, at least not to start.
5. 5Watch for Tells before you apply pressure. The source's most common Tell is a visible pulse in the neck. A throbbing neck means he is excited, and usually the excitement comes from bluffing. Note it and act on it. 'How deep are you?' can be an attempt to create a Tell, so notice what the answer shows.
6. 6Choose your moment by his hand strength. Don't bet into a hand you think is strong just to push him out. Let him win that pot and wait. Bluff when you think he doesn't have much, or bet when you think you have him beat.
7. 7Use aggression that includes deception where the game allows it. In Draw Poker, consider opening with Pat hands where you will probably be raised, so you can re-raise. Sandbag more safely when the players in your game open liberally. Occasionally check and then raise a weak late Opener with Aces to help your image.
8. 8Switch gears in tournaments. Early on, avoid big pots and even-money chip risks, since you can't buy more chips. After the field narrows to a few players, play more aggressively and try to get opponents to jeopardize all their chips at every opportunity.

The source's Draw Poker spot shows aggression built on a read. You hold Sixes and Threes, which you sandbagged in 3rd position. The dealer opens and you are reasonably sure he is weak, though you have no overwhelming Tell. You call and draw one card, and the Opener draws three. You have the best hand, and you shuffle your cards conspicuously without looking at the card you caught, so you appear to be on the Come. The Opener checks blind. You bet while continuing to shuffle. This puts you where you can get a call without fearing a raise if he makes Trips. He thinks you are chasing a Flush and won't raise with less than a complete hand, so he calls hoping you missed. The bet is not a bluff. It is a value bet shaped by an either/or story (either you made the Come hand or you didn't). It matches the rule to pressure a player you have beat and to avoid forcing a strong hand out. The source contrasts this with a World Series player who tries to push you off Jacks he knows you hold. Brunson calls that stupid, not aggressive.

• If you have entered the pot, then bet and raise rather than call. If you haven't, fold unless the hand is strong enough to enter, since solid play is tight on entry and aggressive after.
• If the opponent is loose or a Calling Station, then bet only real hands and skip the bluff. He calls with extremely weak hands or simply checks and calls.
• If you believe he holds a good hand, then don't try to push him off it. Let him win the pot and wait until he looks weak or you have him beat.
• If he seems reluctant to be in the game, then bluff and apply pressure. If he is bouncing his leg and eager for action, then hold the bluff and handle him with caution.
• If it is early in a tournament, then avoid big pots and even-money risks. If the field is down to a few players, then raise to make them risk all their chips.

• Confusing tight with solid. Tell: you fold well but then check and call after entering, and you never take control of hands.
• Bluffing into strength to prove you are aggressive. Tell: you put in chips against a hand you read as good, and you lose it to a real hand. The source calls this being stupid.
• Bluffing a player who came to play. Tell: he is eager, chewing gum, leg bouncing, and he calls or raises your bet.
• Treating a loose player or Calling Station like a normal opponent. Tell: your bluffs get called by weak hands and you run out of patience.
• Fixing an opponent's style permanently. Tell: you keep using last week's read after his mood or approach has changed. The source says moods change play more often than conscious decisions do.
• Playing a tournament like a cash game. Tell: you risk chips on even-money spots early and are short-stacked before the field thins.

• ▸Opponent seat/name: who you are about to pressure.
• ▸Basic type: tight, loose, Calling Station, or solid; write the type you've pegged.
• ▸Today's mood: reluctant to play (bluffable) or came to play (caution); note the behavior you saw.
• ▸Tells seen: for example neck pulse or an odd question about stack size; write what you observed and what it suggests.
• ▸My read of his hand: weak, strong, or unsure; one line on why.
• ▸My hand strength: do I have him beat, or am I bluffing?
• ▸Planned action: bet, raise, re-raise, sandbag, or wait; match it to the read above.
• ▸Setting: cash game, or tournament and field size (early or narrowed).
• ▸Result and lesson: what he did, and whether the read held.

1. 1Fix your baseline first. Learn the minimum playing standards for the game you are in. The source says you vary from those minimums, so you cannot vary without them. Variation without a baseline is just erratic play.
2. 2Name your reason before every deviation. The source allows two: (1) adapt to game conditions, or (2) put opponents off-guard and raise your profit expectancy on future plays. If you cannot say which reason applies, play the baseline. The source says flexibility must be 'governed by your intellect and not by your emotions'.
3. 3Read the game conditions and choose a gear. Loose, call-heavy opposition means you value-bet and stay straightforward, because their main fault is calling too much. A table that has quieted down and turned serious means you tighten. In Blind and Raise-Blind games your control is lower, so expect larger swings and be prepared for them.
4. 4Use disguise inside the hand. In Draw, keeping a kicker with Trips is a deliberate deviation to hide your hand. An Ace is usually the best kicker. If you keep a different kicker for strategic reasons, keep the lower card, since opponents are more likely holding higher cards.
5. 5Plan the follow-up before you pay for the image. If you make a big lay-down in Lowball, call more in the pots that immediately follow to catch bluffs. Opponents read a big lay-down as vulnerability and take shots. Calling with a pair of Sixes and showing it stops that and returns them to their usual predictable mode.
6. 6Manufacture a bizarre image on purpose, then cash it in. Call with nothing, rap pat and spread the hand without betting, or announce a giveaway such as a free ante for anyone holding a pair. The goal is a deluge of calls when you do hold the best hand. The source says the free-ante giveaway costs about three antes on average.
7. 7Change environment when results turn. If you have been losing and are not in an unusually good seat, change seats. Opponents grow less fearful and more aggressive when you lose, so you are effectively facing better play. If you then win a pot or two, say out loud that the seat is lucky.
8. 8Review each deviation afterward. Record whether the opponents' reaction matched the reason you chose the gear. Return to baseline when the effect is gone.

The source's Lowball lay-down shows the sequence. You throw away a big hand, which is a tight, passive gear. Lowball players seldom make big lay-downs, so the table now reads you as vulnerable after the draw, and the players behind you start taking shots. You switch gears on purpose. In the next pots you call more, and you hold a pair of Sixes and show it. The shown hand tells them the bluffs will be called. The source says this 'will generally put a stop to their untimely bluffs and return them to their usual predictable modes'. The variation has a stated reason (exploit their adjustment), a trigger (your own lay-down), and an exit (they go back to predictable play). A second case from the passages: a loose, giggling Blind game quieted down the moment the narrator sat down with a bankroll and took the Blind, and everyone passed. The table's gear changed in response to his, so he left with a tale of a sick uncle.

• If you have just made a big lay-down in Lowball, then call more in the immediately following pots and show a modest winner like a pair of Sixes to stop the bluffs.
• If opponents call too much (the main fault of recreational Draw players), then use odd-looking plays such as calling with nothing or spreading a rapped pat hand without betting. Collect the extra calls when you hold the best hand.
• If you have been losing and your seat is not unusually good, then change seats. If you win a pot or two there, say so out loud to intimidate the table.
• If you are holding Trips and want to disguise the hand, then keep an Ace kicker. If you keep a non-Ace kicker for strategic reasons, then keep the lower card.
• If you cannot name whether a deviation serves game conditions or throws off opponents, then play your baseline standard. Do not vary on emotion.

• Varying on emotion. You deviate after a bad beat or out of boredom, and the change has no named purpose. The tell: you cannot state your reason, and the deviation shows up right after a loss.
• Making the big lay-down and then staying tight. You never follow up, so opponents label you vulnerable and take shots at you. The tell: bluffs and probes at you increase after your fold.
• Over-using the Snow in Lowball. You run a bluff with a pat hand even though opponents can make too many calling hands. The tell: you count the pots won by Snow as proof of skill. The source says to Snow only as an advertising play.
• Staying in a losing seat and a losing gear. Opponents have become less fearful and more aggressive, and you do not adjust. The tell: the same pattern of loss at the same seat for sessions, with no change of seat or style.
• Varying without a baseline, or locking into one standard. Either you have no fixed minimum to deviate from, or you are inflexible and refuse to change gears between games and hands. The tell: opponents' actions toward you stay constant whatever you do.

• ▸Game and conditions: note the game type (Blind, Raise-Blind, Straddle, Pass-Out), the limit, and whether the table is loose or serious.
• ▸Baseline standard: write the minimum standard you would play without any deviation.
• ▸Current gear: tight, loose, aggressive, or passive.
• ▸Trigger: say what prompted the change (a lay-down, a losing streak, a table that quieted, a loose caller).
• ▸Reason (pick one): adapt to game conditions, or throw opponents off-guard for future profit.
• ▸Planned deviation: describe the specific play, such as a kicker kept for disguise, a showdown call, a seat change, or an odd-looking call.
• ▸Cost estimate: state what you are willing to pay for the image, such as a number of antes.
• ▸Opponent response observed: record how the table reacted (more bluffs, more calls, passes, or seriousness).
• ▸Exit condition: state when you return to baseline.

1. 1Label positions before the deal. In the Stud example, early positions are the players who act first through fourth; late positions are fifth through eighth. In Lowball, the dealer is 8th and the Blind sits behind him. Name where you sit and who acts after you.
2. 2Set your entry range by position. In Lowball the Minimum Requirements table tightens in early seats. 2-A-Joker is playable from 5th, 3-2-A is not. A Straight-Nine is playable from 6th only if no one has come in before you. In 7th you can add two-card draws, because only the dealer and the Blind are left to punish you, but two cards to 3-2-A plays and two cards to 7-6-5 does not.
3. 3When you are first in against the Blind, raise. Almost always raise. The antes plus the Blind are structured for action, and players almost always bring it in with a raise.
4. 4Judge the raiser's position before you act. Players are oblivious to what is going on, but they still play according to the position of the first raiser. Read a late-position raise as wider and an early-position raise as stronger.
5. 5Use the flat-call read. Any player who flat calls the first raiser is probably drawing. Count how many callers are likely drawers before you decide to re-raise or fold.
6. 6Choose between re-raising and calling by the likely hand structure. With a strong hand against several probable drawers, re-raise to charge them. With a strong hand in 3rd position behind an early raiser, just call to disguise it and invite others in.
7. 7When you are the dealer and no one has entered, focus only on the Blind. Against a very conservative Blind you can raise and stand pat on almost anything, because he won't call after the draw without a Nine or better. Against a reasonable player, a Straight-Ten is your minimum raising hand without the Joker, and a rough Jack is the minimum with it.
8. 8Build positional advantage through seating. Put tight, predictable players on your left, along with anyone who opens with any Jacks-or-better but rarely plays Shorts, anyone with a recurring opening Tell, and players who constantly expose cards. Their presence behind you allows later and more effective sandbagging.

The source's Lowball scenario (1) puts you in 7th position holding a Pat Eight. The pot is raised in 2nd position, 3rd position calls, and 6th position re-raises. You pass. Position Six re-raising behind two others signals a strong hand, and a Pat Eight is not a winner against two strong positions and a very strong re-raiser. Position Three flat called, so he is almost certainly drawing. Position Two may already have a Pat hand better than yours. Even if both draw a card, you are not much of a money favorite and are vulnerable when a drawer bets into you. More raises before the draw are also possible. Compare scenario (3): in 8th (dealer) position, the first raise comes from 3rd, and 4th, 5th and 7th all call. You re-raise. The three callers are almost surely drawing, and even if Position Three is Pat you are getting far the best of the money by putting in another bet. The hand type is similar, but the action in front of you decides whether you fold or re-raise.

• If you are first in against the Blind with a playable hand, raise rather than call, since the pot is built for action.
• If a player flat calls the first raiser, treat him as probably drawing. If several do and you hold a strong hand late, re-raise.
• If a raise and a re-raise come from strong positions ahead of you and your hand is a marginal Pat, fold. Position Six's re-raise beat your Pat Eight.
• If you are the dealer with no one in and the Blind is very conservative, raise and stand pat on nearly anything. If the Blind is a reasonable player, require a Straight-Ten (no Joker) or a rough Jack (with Joker), and never draw three.
• If you hold a strong hand in 3rd behind an early raiser and want more callers, call to disguise it rather than re-raise.

• Robbing the Blind at every opportunity as dealer. Tell: you raise and stand pat on a Queen or draw one to a Jack, draw three cards, or draw two to a Nine, and you lose bundles of cash against reasonable players.
• Raising with rough Pat Tens in the middle positions. Tell: you hold a 10-9-6-5 type hand with no Joker and no fallback draw, and you get called or re-raised by better hands.
• Playing 7th-position two-card draws as if all are equal. Tell: you take 7-6-5 two-card draws the same way you take 3-2-A, when only the latter is playable.
• Ignoring what the action ahead says about position. Tell: you call or raise a Pat Eight into a raise, a flat call and a re-raise from 6th and are then shown a better Pat hand or beaten by a drawer.
• Applying the dealer-Blind approach without profiling the Blind. Tell: you use one raise range against every Blind instead of adjusting to the one player you have to worry about.

• ▸My seat (1-8) and who acts after me: Write your position and whether the dealer and Blind are the only players left.
• ▸Early or late: Mark whether you act first through fourth (early) or fifth through eighth (late).
• ▸Action so far: Record whether the pot is unopened, raised, flat called, or re-raised, and from which seats.
• ▸Likely drawers: Count the flat callers; any player who flat calls the first raiser is probably drawing.
• ▸My hand versus the minimum for this seat: Check it against your position's minimum requirement (e.g. 2-A-Joker from 5th, Straight-Nine from 6th only if no one has come in).
• ▸Blind or last-to-act profile: Note whether he is conservative or reasonable and what he needs to call after the draw.
• ▸Raise, call or fold: Raise if first in; re-raise against probable drawers with a strong hand; call to disguise in 3rd; fold marginal Pats facing strong re-raises.
• ▸Seat notes: List who sits on your left (tight, predictable, Tell-prone) and whether to change seats.

1. 1Watch and listen every hand, including hands you are not in. Brunson's rule: concentrate on everything, 'look at a man every time he's involved in a hand' and 'judge him every time.' This is how you build a read before you need it.
2. 2Compare what a player says with what he does. Treat speech and action as two separate data streams. Many players 'talk loose and play tight,' and later reverse it, so log the action and discount the talk.
3. 3Place each opponent in a category: tight (conservative nearly all the time), solid (tight about entering, aggressive once in), loose (plays most pots, calls with weak hands), or calling station (checks and calls, rarely bets). The category sets your default plan: a good hand to bet against the loose player, steady value against the station.
4. 4Hunt for bet-size patterns. Brunson's example is Jimmy Cassella, who raised about $100 with A-10 and $125 with A-J in Hold'em. Note each raise size next to the hand shown down, and keep the pairing once it repeats.
5. 5Time the response. An unsophisticated player who draws three cards and checks immediately has not helped. One who needs several seconds to think probably has a made hand he is deciding how to play. Record the delay together with the draw.
6. 6Check behavioral tells against the full picture. Avoiding eye contact can signal a bluff, but a player who has been told this may stare blatantly instead. A player who deliberately exposes the Joker and bets is apt to be bluffing. Read the whole of posture, past habits, betting, and voice tone, not one isolated cue.
7. 7Read his current state before each pot you contest. Is he in the mood to gamble or waiting for the nuts? Is he a loser on tilt, or a loser who has screwed down? Is he a cocky winner, or a winner who has tightened up to protect gains? Pick your strategy for this moment, not for his average.
8. 8Create tests when passive observation is not enough. If you are not learning what you need, bluff at him to see how he responds. Then use what you learned against him later, as Friday-night games let you size up business acquaintances.

Brunson describes a no-limit Hold'em pot where he called an out-of-line bet while drawing at the highest possible straight. He 'knew' he would win if he just called, and he 'knew' the other player could not overcall because his hand was not strong enough. His read of the two opponents: the player holding a pair would fold, and the player who over-bet the pot was only drawing to a little straight. The pair folded, and Brunson won with Jack-high. Brunson says the point is not the win. The 'feel' was not a vague sense. He had played with both men often, so the call rested on recall, reasoning, and a process of elimination. The read came from stored observations about what each man does in spots like this one, and the profile paid off on a single call.

• If a player is loose and will call with extremely weak hands, then wait for a good hand and bet it for value instead of bluffing.
• If a player is a calling station who only checks and calls, then do not bluff him. Bet your good hands and collect.
• If an opponent draws three and checks into you immediately, then bet two-pair into him. Immediate action means he did not improve.
• If a player deliberately exposes the Joker and bets, or avoids eye contact, then raise your estimate that he is bluffing. Check whether he has been told about tells, since overdone eye contact is a near-certain bluff.
• If you read an opponent as strong and cannot beat his hand, then let him win the pot. Wait until you think he has little, or until you think you have him beat, then bluff or bet.

• Believing what players say. You adjust to the talk and get reversed when the 'loose talker' tightens. The tell is that your reads keep failing against vocal players.
• Treating 'tight' and 'solid' as the same. You fold to a solid player's post-entry aggression because you assumed a tight player's passivity. The tell is that you are surprised by a bet after he enters a pot.
• Relying on one isolated tell. You act on a single cue such as eye contact and miss the full set of posture, habits, betting, and voice. The tell is that the cue is right sometimes and wrong at critical moments.
• Reading the player's average style instead of his current mood. You ignore tilt, a winner protecting gains, or a loser who has screwed down. The tell is that a loose player's sudden tightness catches you.
• Misplaying a read by trying to bluff a hand you think is good. You identify his hand correctly but then try to push him off a pair of Jacks you cannot beat. Brunson calls this stupid, not aggressive. The tell is that you bet into a hand you have already put him on.

• ▸Player / seat: name or seat number and the stakes played.
• ▸Category: tight, solid, loose, or calling station, with one hand that supports it.
• ▸Talk vs. action: what he says versus what he actually does, noted separately.
• ▸Bet-size pattern: raise or bet amounts paired with the hands shown at showdown.
• ▸Timing: immediate versus delayed action, and what hand he had when it occurred.
• ▸Behavioral tells: eye contact, posture, exposed cards, voice tone, and the context for each.
• ▸Current state: gambling mood, tilt, screwed-down loser, cocky winner, or protecting gains.
• ▸Test run: any bluff or probe you tried, and how he responded.
• ▸Exploit plan: the one adjustment you will make against him next time.

1. 1Adopt the rule 'Never play when you're upset.' Before each session, check your state. If a fight at home, an argument with a friend, or a romantic problem is pulling your attention, don't sit down. The source says these problems 'affect their judgment at everything' and cost money at the table.
2. 2Match the break to the problem. A little problem gets a short break. A big problem gets a long one, 'at least for a time, until you regain your emotional balance.' The source calls the long break a logical extension of the short one.
3. 3Quit when a loss is large enough to bother you. The source says the author saved 'a great deal of money over the years' by leaving once he had lost enough to be bothered. The rule matters more in Limit, where it takes much longer to grind the money back.
4. 4Remove the habits that corrode judgment. Don't drink while playing, and don't let your mind dwell on personal problems at the table. Concentrate on every hand, including pots you're not in.
5. 5Cap session length at your real endurance. The author can play at his best for about 36 hours, and after that the drop-off becomes noticeable. Bad habits become exaggerated as you tire, so end a long session the moment your quality slips, not when the game ends.
6. 6Audit leaks on purpose. Ask whether you are playing too many pots (tighten up) or too few (play more). Keep a mental record of which games you win at and which you don't, so you know where your discipline is weakest.
7. 7After three or four losing sessions, ask 'Am I playing bad?' and, if needed, ask someone else. If the answer is 'you're just playing unlucky,' you can keep your confidence. If you lose five straight sessions at one of your better games, suspect a basic flaw. After ten straight, treat it as certain.
8. 8Schedule vacations of three or four days with no poker, even when you feel fine. Staleness is hard to notice from inside, and the break restores perspective on your own capabilities and limitations.

The source describes a staleness problem that the author failed to see in himself. He examines his game more than most players do, yet he did not recognize how badly it was off, or why, until a friend, Jack, pointed it out. The lesson he draws is that self-assessment fails exactly when you are going stale, so you build a vacation into the schedule rather than waiting for a signal. Apply the same logic to a losing run. Suppose you lose four sessions in a row at a game you normally beat. First, ask whether you are playing badly, and get another player's opinion. If the answer is 'unlucky,' you keep your approach and your confidence. If the pattern reaches five straight losses at one of your better games, the source says to suspect something basic is wrong. At ten, there is 'no doubt whatever' it is you and not luck. Then take a three-to-four-day break away from poker and return to the table having re-examined your leaks.

• If something has happened that upsets you enough to affect your play, then don't sit down; for a big problem, quit for a long break until your emotional balance returns.
• If you have lost enough money to bother you, then stop. The cost of quitting is smaller than the cost of playing upset, especially in Limit.
• If you lose several sessions in a row, then ask whether you are playing badly; five straight losses at a good game means suspect a flaw, ten means it is certain.
• If you have been playing past your peak window (around 36 hours in the author's case), then stop, because noticeable decline and exaggerated bad habits make longer play riskier.
• If you feel fine but haven't had time away from poker, then schedule a three-to-four-day vacation anyway, since going stale is hard to detect from inside.

• Playing through personal turmoil: you can't sit still, want to walk around, and poker 'doesn't really interest' you. Tell: you are not concentrating and your mind drifts to the problem.
• Chasing losses past the point they bother you: you keep playing after a loss big enough to rattle you. Tell: you feel the loss itself and not just the current hand.
• Blaming luck without checking: you lose several sessions in a row and assume variance. Tell: five straight losses at a game you usually beat and no review of your play.
• Marathon sessions that magnify bad habits: you stay in because you are 'on a roll' or stuck. Tell: your habits grow sloppier as you tire and you play later hours worse than early ones.
• Skipping vacations because you feel fine: you assume you would notice a decline. Tell: results sag and you can't say why; the author missed it until a friend pointed it out.

• ▸Date / game / stakes: record what you are about to play.
• ▸Emotional state (1-5) and any unresolved problem: if a problem is affecting your concentration, don't play.
• ▸Alcohol or distraction check: confirm you will not drink and that personal problems are set aside.
• ▸Planned stop point (time): set your maximum session length before you start.
• ▸Loss limit that would bother me: write the amount at which you will quit.
• ▸Result and whether limits were respected: record the outcome and whether you quit when planned.
• ▸Losing-session streak count: track consecutive losses at this game (flag at 5 for suspected flaw, 10 for certain).
• ▸'Am I playing bad?' answer and second opinion: record your honest assessment and whom you asked.
• ▸Last vacation date / next scheduled break: keep a 3-4 day poker-free break on the calendar.