[paddymcg21]

The way to get information is generally through betting. Obviously this means that if you have a large stack in relation to the blinds then you can invest some chips to find out where you stand. Throw strange size raises out there and see how they react to them. Get inside their head and think of the hands that you would make the play they just made with. e.g. say you both have 10,000 chips with blinds of 300/600, your oponent raises to 1,500 and you with your AK re raise to 3,500 and he flat calls. Now he's either a complete idiot or he has a very big hand. It's the sort of play you'd make with AA or KK thinking you're being very clever disguising your hand, in fact him just calling is letting you know he has a huge hand, whereby if he's moved in you'd be far more confident your AK was good. This is a very basic example but then the answer to your question is very simple. Try all you can to get inside their heads and think of the hands they could have to make certain plays. The fact is sometimes you just won't have a clue what kind of hand your opponent has so unless you have a big hand you are forced to get out of the way.I always try my best to watch every single hand at any table im at and watch exactly what bets people make and hopefully get to see the hands at showdown. The best players remember every hand and use the information when they have a marginal decision to make.