How Do Non-Rational Players Succeed in Poker?

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This is just flat-out wrong. You can certainly be struck with an epiphany of the correct move, and if you are, it's because your subconsciousness has filtered and processed the necessary factors to make the best decision. I really don't know what you mean by "brand new," anyway. It's poker, and there are always going to be lots of familiar elements.


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alright, i guess it can happen, but its unlikely and certainly not more reliable than actually thinking about your decision. in addition, the sudden gut reaction might just be that shot in the dark guess that i mentioned earlier, you end up convincing yourself of one option over another irrationally and incorrectly.

also, why are conscious thought and subconscious thought mutually exclusive. why cant you be thinking subconsciously about the hand at the same time you are actively deciding what to do -- why does requin have to unfocus his mind and focus it on something else? sometimes it helps when you are stuck on a problem, to stop and then approach it from a different angle but i dont think that is what is going on here. the answer that requin gave, that he stops so he can hear his 'gut' better seems to be more like using that random guess as his instinct, and is likely to be wrong a lot.