WHY DO THEY PLAY ?
Earlier in the poker books I talked about a hunting analogy.
Some people enjoy the hunt itself more than the kill.
Some people don’t see much reason to hunt if you don’t kill something.
Others just like having the nearest gun. Poker is the same thing.
That’s the book players. Some play because they enjoy the gamble.
They want to win also, but they want to create a gamble even more.
That’s the loose maniac crowd.
There is a third group that doesn’t really care if they win, just so long as they “play right.” They probably think they want to win, but they really don’t care.
These are the players who are always quoting what they’ve read in a book to the winners, telling them what they did wrong.
Many poker players play simply for the thrill of the gamble.
There’s a large subset of aggressive players who fall into this category.
These players want high-risk games, and they’ll create them by frequent raises.
High-risk games come about because that’s what the players want-they made them high risk on purpose. Risk is the point.
That does not mean those players are unskilled.
Some of them are, of course, but some of them are very skilled.
They just use their poker skills to meet their needs, not yours.
Before you categorize a player beyond the simple dichotomous scales, identify the reason they play-determine their motivating force.
Pick the Right Table / Picking a Seat / Theories of Poker / Betting Theory: The Odds
A Theory of Starting Hand Value
A Theory of Flop Play: Counting Outs and Evaluating Draws
The Dynamics of Game Conditions / Table Image / Player Stereotypes
Women and Poker / Spread-Limit Games / Double Bet on the End Games / Kill Games
Short-handed Games / Tournaments / No-limit and Pot-Limit Poker
