What\'s your method of opponent observation?
 

ok, so as a relative newbie to the game and a bonafide noob to the forums, my question is as stated in the subject. i guess with so many things going on in a particular game, i have trouble picking out and focusing in on (probably precursors of adult onset ADD, i digress) the important info that my opponents are giving. i am trying to move to the 2nd level of thinking (i think) in which i'm to determine what cards they are playing. well, i pay attention to the betting amounts, their position, etc...but when the cards are not shown down (also, not shown in HH) i tend to not be able to attatch that memory to a particular hand, or range.

i think that's enuff rambling, i hope you get the point of the question. i'm just curious as to how you guys (and gals) approach the task of opponent observation.

by the way, this is only my 3rd or 4th post, but i've been reading the forum for a coupla months now, and i appreciate all of the valuable information. you all (well, most of you [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]) are very knowlegable (spelling?) and i respect and look forward to the advice...thanks in advance

Re: What\'s your method of opponent observation?
 

oh yeah, by the way, i'm talking about online opponents..thanks

Re: What\'s your method of opponent observation?
 

Play only one table, remove all other distractions, take notes.

What to note:
loose or tight pf and post
raise lots?
raise after limpers?
what hands do they raise?
how do they play post flop?
aggressive or passive?
etc...
etc...

Re: What\'s your method of opponent observation?
 

Oh yeah...and think in RANGES not in specific hands as you are trying to figure out what opponents are playing. Too many people try to isolate a certain hand for the opponent when they should be thinking in ranges.

Re: What\'s your method of opponent observation?
 

When faced with a raise to their BB will they always call?
What kind of hands do they raise with from what positions?
Are they more prone to slow playing a hand or leading?

Re: What\'s your method of opponent observation?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Oh yeah...and think in RANGES not in specific hands as you are trying to figure out what opponents are playing. Too many people try to isolate a certain hand for the opponent when they should be thinking in ranges.

[/ QUOTE ]

I totally agree with this. I'm always trying to pin down what range of hands someone is playing and putting them in relation to position.

Also take note of which players just have a set range of hands and don't vary it depending on position (I see a lot of players doing this in the lower limits).

Re: What\'s your method of opponent observation?
 

ok, well the range thing makes sense...if we note ranges, then we can narrow the holdings down as the hand progresses...right on...thanks for the replies...keep 'em coming this is good stuff...

Re: What\'s your method of opponent observation?
 

[ QUOTE ]
ok, well the range thing makes sense...if we note ranges, then we can narrow the holdings down as the hand progresses...right on...thanks for the replies...keep 'em coming this is good stuff...

[/ QUOTE ]

Yup, just make sure you note players that slowplay so they only catch you the once.

Re: What\'s your method of opponent observation?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Play only one table

[/ QUOTE ]

Bingo. And pay attention to all the hands at that table, not just the ones you're actively involved in. When you've folded, try to put the players still in the hand on ranges. Try to guess what they're going to do at each decision point. For extra credit, figure out what you'd do with your starting hand had you not folded (this will often be easy, as the answer will usually still be "fold").

Don't pay too much attention to preflop play, but instead focus on postflop. As far as preflop goes, all you really need to know is:

-Is he loose, tight, or average?
-Is he aggressive, passive, or average?
-Does he become looser and/or more aggressive in later position (adjusting for position)?

If you run programs such as PokerTracker and PokerAceHUD, they'll take care of that information for you.

Always see what the losing hands at showdown were by using the "last hand" feature on the poker site's software. It's extremely useful to know just what a player needs to call down (or what he's willing to bluff) with.

It seems like a whole lot of information at first, but as you log the hours and see the same situations over and over again (as well as the same players), much of this will become second-nature and you'll be able to develop reads faster.

Re: What\'s your method of opponent observation?
 

Need to create a quick copy/paste template similar to reply #3. Throw that in your notes and answer question per player.