Getting to know the player's

This has to be one of the most important parts of the poker game for playing online and at the tables, and to my reckoning it would be the most beneficial part of your game to work on.
I have played tournaments in the past and sat there for an hour with out getting a hand that comes even close to a recommended starting hand.
We have all read the books and know the score as far as starting hands are concerned and know that its an automatic fold under the gun when we get dealt kq suited we all know that aq suited should be folded the cut off when a player has min raised utg and someone else has raised.
So what happens if you're like me and you've been sitting in a tournament for an hour and your stack is slowing dwindling away because you have never been in a position to get involved?
Well this is where the hard workcomes in to action and knowing your player comes into action.
Some times you have to make a stand and decide that its time to make a play because if you don't then your going to be blinded away and end up having to put your chips in the middle when the size of your stack is open to 3 or 4 callers.
So what do we need to know?
Well as well as you I'm still looking for all the answers but I'm happy enough to talk about what I look for in players. The things I look out for in the hour that I'm sat there doing nothing is ..

• How many times does the player voluntarily put money in the pot to play a hand
• If he enters the pot, will he come in with a raise every time or just some of the time
• when he enters the pot does he always stay to the flop or can he fold to a raise
• Are they disciplined enough to always play in position
• what type of hands the raise with and limp with form an early position
• how do they play their premium hands
• When they raise do they always raise with the same structures, or do they add extra for protection
• will they always make a continuation bet on the flop
• can they fold after a continuation bet
• Which way do they bet in regards to the pot size once the flop has arrived, do they play to get payed or play to protect
• will they always stay to the turn or fold on flop if they miss
• Do they carry a style that would rather check raise you on the flop or bet straight out
• Do they over bet when flush draw on the board or play their hand exactly the same regardless

These are points that I mainly look for in a player at the table and believe you me its so much easier to gather all this information online than it is at the tables. I always try to make sure that every single person at my table has some sort of note on his name. I will even go as far as typing in their box " don't know". This may sound stupid but at least you know that the next time you come to play him there is something there telling you that he is at least solid because you didn't see him play a hand.

The next thing is then decided how to use all this information against your opponent.

Well gathering all the info is the easy part deciding how to use depends on the situation and the position you have on the players you know most about. The main things need to know is can you take the blinds every time it folds around to you on the button knowing that those 2 players will not defend unless they have a premium hand.

When you do eventually get to a flop and the player that you are now heads up with bets out the size of the pot when there isn't a flush draw in sight, you should know by then whether or not he bets out with a made hand or whether he tries to take the pot down with it.

These are all very beneficial things to know about your opponent and believe you me when you do get an online read on someone your chips are never far away.

For an example. I played in an online comp on Betfred and the guy 2 seats to my right was a complete thief and the player was chipped up all the way through the comp and even made it to the final table.

The problem this guy had was that he done a lot of raising and re raising when in position around late middle and late. What he would do was that every time he had a genuine hand he would raise the standard amount allowed buy the slide bar and when he was stealing or bluffing he would type the figure into the box. I sat and watched this guy the whole way through the tournament and all I kept telling myself was as long as he could stay in the tournament i would. The reason being that every time he would type his raise into the box I re raised him all in and he would fold. Every time he folded and i mean every time. It got to the stage where I was going to a flop with this player with absolutely nothing in my hand he would do it again as a continuation and I would shove all in. Don't get me wrong a few of the times he did hit a flop and he would check the flop but at these times I would just check with him.....

I think by now you should be starting to get the picture. I'm no Barry Greenstein and not for a minute am i saying that this article is book writing material. What I am saying is, unless your willing to sit down at a table and observe every detail that is going on then your playing the wrong game. This game will only reward you if you concentrate on every last move and keep going back over the hands either in your head or in the hand history. Reason being that when you play these multi tables will simply not get enough premium cards to win a tournament unless your very very lucky, so you need to figure another way, ands thats to fight back with the balls you where born with.

Good luck comes and goes, knowledge lasts forever. Thats why you can never do enough reading about this game......... Good luck folks