NLH Poker: Reading the board (Part 2)

So let's talk about some standard types of FLOPS.
Everyone knows that the flop defines your hand. The thing you should be asking yourself is, who would be playing to this flop? And you can kind of figure out most of the possible hands according to position, card ranges and betting patterns.

The best hand likely to hit on any flop that doesn't include a pair is trips and most players that hit trips are going to slow play to trap other players with good drawing hands or even 2 pair. Pocket pairs only happen once out of 16 hands, so two players having pocket pairs is unlikely. Someone will flop a pair about 42% of the time, but considering that the minor cards (2-7) are usually mucked, we're probably down to less than a 30% chance that someone paired the board, and flopping 2 pair happens less than 5% of the time. It may be best to vary how you slow play by checking out of position or if in position, calling any bet or making a small bet. Heads-up on the FLOP is the most likely place for the bluff to start, but more likely where the betting tells come into play.

Ace with Rags
FLOPS like Ah 3d 9s - It's the position players that will drive the pot. If you don't have the Ace, someone likely does. The best hand is pocket pairs for the sets of AAA, 333, 999, and the 33 may have been mucked anyway depending on position. How many players that are in the hand, after the pre-flop betting, are going to hit anything?
Early position players that bet, probably have the Ace because they aren't likely to be playing anything with a 3 or 9 unless it's a pocket pair. They could have a suited Kh like KQ or KJ, and may have mucked K10 and QJ if there was a lot of action pre-flop. They may be betting on the nut draw, but they most likely aren't going to bet more than the pot and might check raise a set.
Middle position players that are the first to bet may have the same type of hand as the early position players, but might also try to represent the Ace with a probe bet. If they have to call a raise, they are more likely to call with a set or 2 pair or raise with an A10 or higher kicker. Passive players are only going to bet if they have paired their Ace or hit 2 pair or a set, they aren't likely to slow play it.
Late position players that are the first to bet are most likely going to bet 2 times the Big Blind, or more, with anything. Checking is just too weak, but it might be a good play if they know that the blinds or button are loose players that will bet if no one has or call any normal bet with only one player before them. Late position players could call any raise if they have pocket pairs higher than the 9, or raise with an Ace with a kicker higher than the nine. Might call any raise with 2 pair or better. A raise should get everyone to fold except another Ace with a high kicker or 2 pair or an set. Passive players are only going to play the nuts, but may not raise if they think they can be beat.

Two high cards with no ace
FLOPS like Kc Qd 7C - The kind of hand that may see lots of action. The best hand has pocket pairs for trip KKK, QQQ, or 777.
It's the kind of hand that can get someone in a lot of trouble. Second pair, QQ, is very vulnerable. Anyone who calls must have the King or AA or 2 pair or a set, they may even raise. The chip leader, if loose aggressive, may even re-raise, suspecting a bluff or representing a King with a higher kicker, if they can afford to lose. Bottom pair, 77, is already beat by too many possible hands. Most players hold just about any face card
Early Position players that bet are likely to have a strong hand since they should only be playing the top 5 or 6 hands. Now you have to look at the type of player in this position. Passive players may overplay the hand and force all of the money out, unless they are on a nut flush draw holding Ac Xc, then they will probably fold to a normal bet down the line. Aggressive players could be playing any of the top 15 or even 20 hands and would bet 3 to 4 times the blinds. You don't slow play this type of board because of all the players who keep these cards, anyone could have 2 pair. Someone with bottom pair, 77, will likely fold to a big raise.
Middle Position players that are the first to bet could easily get sandwiched between AA or a set of Kings/Queens, if the early position player just checked and the late position players could have the club draw or a set of sevens. Middle position is just about the worst place to be with this type of draw, unless you have a monster.
Late Position players that are the first to bet are still going to bet 3 times the blinds. If they only check, then they could be on an Ace high hand or lower club draw, or even looking to check-raise with a set or 2 pair. Most are going to raise to at least steal the blinds. Passive players are most likely to make a weak bet or just check. Late Position players that have to call or raise can't really bluff here, unless there is only one other player in the hand, and it's a weak player. With 2 or more payers in the hand before them, they have to have a good hand that can beat a player that pairs the board but has a weak kicker.

A high card, no ace, with 2 rags
FLOPS like Qs 8h 4h - the kind of flop that may miss most hands. The best hands possible would be pocket pairs for QQQ, 888, 444, and 44 may have been mucked depending on position and player types. Still reading "Poker Wizards" by Warwick Dunnett and the section by Mike Sexton talks about bluffing opportunities. Flops that have high cards without an Ace can be represented as having the high card when they sense weakness on the other players. It's one of those areas where your cards may be irrevelent. You can bluff out the players with the Ace, even if they have a high kicker.
Early Position players that bet, if they don't have trip Queens or Eights, probably have the AQ, maybe KQ, for top pair and a great kicker. They're not likely to have Q8 or Q4, unless they are aggressive players because good players and weak players will muck them. Shouldn't be any checking here, unless someone has AA or KK, even then there should be a good size bet to limit the field.
Middle Position players that are the first to bet can almost go to steal the blinds from this position. It's still more likely that they need AA or KK or trips or 2 pair to even bet here. Just about everyone who checked or made a minimum bet is on a draw, because anyone who had a Queen may have kept it if there were weak bets pre-flop and hands like JJ, TT, and 99 may be too timid to push a big bet, they will probably make a probe bet. Middle position players that have to call a raise need a top hand like AQ, KQ, possibly QJ or 2 pair. AA and KK could call a big raise, but may re-raise to see if someone has a set. Someone with middle pair, 88, needs a high kicker and they are lilely to call a probe bet instead of re-raising. Bottom pair has to fold to a big raise before them.
Late Position players that are the first to bet can represent a lot of hands and will likely be able to steal the blinds. They need a monster hand to call a big raise from this position and can slow play a monster if there are weak bets before them.

Rags.
FLOPS like 9d 6h 2c - Pretty much missed everybody. Hands with the 9 probably have a good kicker and A9 should be leading the betting, unless someone has pocket pairs higher than the 9. The best possible hands are 999, 666, 222, and the 666 is the sign of the devil, so it's pretty much the hand to watch. If the pre-flop betting has been vigorous, then the 22 was probably mucked anyway. There's something about these middle cards that seem to make some of the pros salivate if the pre-flop betting has been unremarkable. Holding cards like T8, 78, even JT, are not uncommon, but if the pre-flop betting was heavy, those cards are gone.
Early Position players that bet first probably have a pocket pair or AK or AQ, they would probably check if they had AJ or AT. They shouldn't have any thing with a 9, unless the pre-flop betting was light. Any other hands will probably be checked and mucked to a bet or raise. Early position players that call a bet or raise probably have a pocket pair, AA to JJ and may have to muck the JJ if the betting was heavy. They could have slow played the set of 999 and really shouldn't be playing anything less.
Middle Position players that are the first to bet could have A9 or a pocket pair, but should at least bet 2 times the BB with any 2 cards since they had to have something to even make it to the flop and there is sure to be a bet after them if they check. Middle Position players that have to call a bet or raise can't mess around here. They are going to have to raise or re-raise if they have anything they think can win or muck all those second best hands. If they have a ton of chips, they can try to buy the pot, but only if the pre-flop betting was weak. They are very likely sandwiched between to good hands and out of position.
Late Position players that are the first to bet can represent just about any hand they want and should be able to steal the pot with a normal bet, they could even play this one dark. The type of hand that suits Arnold Snyder's Rochambeau style of play. If there are lots of checkers before them, there could be a trap being set, but most likely the flop missed everyone. Late Position players that have to call a bet or raise still have a decent chance with their top pocket pair or middle to low set. They will need to catch 2 cards for a straight or flush, so those draws should be gone, even the 78 won't stand up to a decent raise. Most likely no one went all-in unless they have a hand that can be beat at the turn or river or they are short stacked.

NLH Poker: Reading the board (part 1) 

I Never Bluff

NLH Poker: Reading the board (Part 1)

Flop Texture
The FLOP is where most decisions are made. Depending on where you are in the betting sequence, the flop will determine how you play. Many pros talk about playing the player instead of the cards, so the seeds of doubt are planted here. You have to look at a flop according to whom it may have helped and what are the perfect cards needed to give the best hand possible. Hitting a straight-flush on the flop is 64,973 to 1, if you get one, better slow play it, and a royal flush is 10 times harder to get, but because of the high cards and high probability someone has something, you don't have to slow play it. Most players miss the flop and end up with some type of a drawing hand or are looking at two over-cards, so this is where players represent what hands they want you to believe they have. Some who actually hit something are more likely not to have the top pair or their top pair can be beat on the TURN or RIVER. Whether it's the FLOP, TURN, or RIVER, this is where the possible bluff starts and the more players in the hand, the less likely a bluff will hold to the river.

FOUR RULES FOR READING THE BOARD

1. Unless there is at least ONE PAIR on the board; it is impossible for any player to have Quads or a Full House.
2. Unless there are at least THREE SUITED cards on the board; it is impossible for any player to have a Flush.
3. Unless there are at least THREE cards on the board that have two or fewer gaps between them; it is impossible for any player to have a Straight.
4. If none of the above premium hands are possible, then the Nuts would always be a pocket pair that makes a Set with the highest card on the board.

A-K
A couple of things about the 2 most loved cards in the deck, the Ace and King.
It's about 220 to 1 that Kings will be beat by Aces. It's about 110 to 1 that any specific pair will be dealt, like AA or KK, so if you think someone has a higher pocket pair, the odds go up about 2% to 4% for each pair from 22 to KK that your pair has been cracked. At a full table AA will win about 35% of the time and KK will win about 31%. At a full table there is about an 87% chance that at least one person has an Ace and about 70% that 2 players have an Ace and you can reduce that by about 5% for each person less than the full table. Most books you read show the odds of getting that 4 of a kind or Full House or Flush or anything that could win, but the real odds are in the cards players are likely to play and the cards that are flopped. There may be a 46 to 1 chance of making a set, but if everyone plays the high Broadway cards, which means those cards don't get mucked, and two of the Broadway cards appear on the flop, then the odds are higher that someone may have made it. Some players don't play low pairs and some don't play low kickers, so if a 4 or two fours come out on the flop, there is a slightly less chance of it helping most of the better players, it's more likely to help a poor or loose player. If a 9 came out on the flop, there is a higher percentage of players that could have paired it and more that will get the set if 99 come on the flop, then it's all about the kicker.

So lets look at Flop textures:

If the 3 cards are a SET, something that rarely happens: It could be someone has 4 of a kind, there's less than a 1% chance though. There's about a 1% chance of making a Full House, if someone has a pocket pair, then someone is more likely to have at least a Full House by the turn, possibly more than one person will hit the Full House by the River, if the betting was heavy. 4 of a kind with an Ace kicker will be slow played by everyone except weak players. Someone holding a King kicker probably won't slow play it, they will most likely make some kind of a raise or probe bet, looking for the player with the Ace kicker.

3 Suited Cards, again not the normal type of flop: It's about 500 to 1 that anyone hit the flush on the flop. Most likely if someone has a flush they will slow play it if there are no other danger cards. Many will have a flush draw and play it to the river where it's about 100 to 1 that they will hit it. With suited connectors and a straight flush possible, some will chase both the straight and flush to the river.

3 Connected Cards, usually doesn't happen, more likely there's at least one gap: It's about 250 to 1 that someone hit a straight on the flop. If the 3 cards are consecutive, like 7-8-9 or J-Q-K, then the scare is out on the high end that at least a pair has hit because many players will play any 2 cards if one is a Jack or higher. Most players will play any 2 cards if both are an eight or above. So you have about half of the deck being played by all of the players. Out of the 52 cards in a deck, over half are an eight or above, 28 of the 52 cards. If 3 cards are dealt on the flop that are close to a run with only one gap, there is a possibility of a made straight, but more likely a big draw to the straight, and that may last all the way to the river.

PAIRS on the flop, probably happens on the same frequency as someone getting pocket pairs. With the odds of someone being dealt a pair at about 16 to 1, it's not likely anyone hit quads on the flop. It's about a 10% chance someone with pocket pairs will make a set, so they are more likely to miss the set than make it. It's about a 16% chance that someone may get 2 pair by the river if they already have a pair. Phil Gordon has a neat formula to calculate the odds of someone holding higher pocket pairs, preflop. He calls it the "Gordon Pair Principle".

If you have 99, there are 5 higher pairs that can beat you, if there are 5 players left to act, you multiply the numbers, 5x5 = 25, then divide by 2, for 12.5, which means there is a 12.5% chance of someone beating your pairs. It's not rocket science, but something good to use when it comes down to a hard preflop decision.

Suited Connectors: Will it hit the Flush more likely than the Straight?
This flies in the face of the odds. There are 13 cards in a suit and 2 suited cards hit the board, so there are 11 out. Since a flush beats a straight, more people are likely to chase the flush than the straight and since many players play connectors, it's more likely that the flush side will be hit.

• On the straight side there are 24 cards that can help, but the cards are specific, 3 from each side. They must have the two end cards for the straight, either one on each end or 2 on the same end. With 2 cards to come and only 8 cards that can really help, it's a bigger gamble to go for the straight.

• On the flush side there are 11 cards still to be played and any of the eleven will do. If they are holding the normal 2 suited cards, they have 9 outs that they are playing to, with about a 36% chance of making the flush. Keep in mind that there is only a 25% chance of a flush before the deal.

Non-Suited Connectors: Likely to hit a Straight about 48% of the time by the river, if they already have 2 of the 24 cards needed, considering that there is only about a 38% chance of making a straight before the deal. That's 5 cards needed to make a straight and 4 ways to make it, for about 20 cards that are needed, and if you have one, then there are 16 cards that can help and if you have 2, then 12 that can help, which may really bring it to about 32%. We can leave it to the math guys like Sklansky and Block to give the real odds, but you will see lots of players take anything at 3 to 1 or better, as long as they still have half their chips left if they lose.

RAGS: At a full table, with 3 cards dealt above a seven, it's likely someone hit a pair and more likely that more than one person hit a pair. If the flop has an A, K, Q, or J and the other 2 cards are low and it's a rainbow, then most will bet their pair or represent that they got the pair. Everyone fears the Ace, most don't fear the King and less are likely to fear the Queen or Jack. 3 cards below an eight are most likely going to get many callers and the type of hand someone with a low set doesn't want to slow play.

(Reading the Board Part 2) 

I Never  Bluff

I Hate Bluffing

Bluffing ----- do you really need to bluff?
I hate bluffing and have always hated bluffing. I am currently reading Poker Wizards by Warwick Dunnett. The section with Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, one of my favorite players to watch, talks about the need to bluff.

Ferguson writes, "If I never bluff, my opponents are going to figure that out and only call me when they have a hand that they think can beat me. Therefore, I am really losing money with my good hands because I only get called when I am beaten. If I bluff too often, I will get called too often, and end up losing more money with my bluffs than I make from my good hands".

OK......So we'll look into Bluffing..........Maybe?



Reasons to Bluff are the same as the reasons to raise.
Reduce the number of players in the hand and/or Steal the Blinds. Generally good players will rarely bluff, unless the table is tight.

Player classifications prior to the first hand being dealt.
Rate each player as a 1 (Passive) or 2 (Aggressive).
After a few hands see if the classification still holds and then sub-classify them, which will give you an aggression factor.

Aggression Factors
11 = Passive/Passive (CA = Calling Station)
12 = Passive/Aggressive (TA = Tight Aggressive),
21 = Aggressive/Passive (SA = Selective Aggressive)
22 = Aggressive/Aggressive (LA = Loose Aggressive).
3 = Maniac or Mental Midget (MM) How many maniacs are too many at a table?

See if the maniac stays true to form or was really an aggressive type that got some great hands early in the game. There are many Mental Midgets in fast card room tournaments and on-line play, they have no respect for the game.

Clothing, mannerisms, boisterous talking, or no social interaction, can give a clue as to the type of player. How they stack their chips, play with their chips, splashing, forcefulness in betting movements, or mucking their cards can also give a hint as the the type of player.

Bluff Poker
Harrington’s Law on Bluffing: “The probability someone is bluffing when he shoves a big bet into the pot is at least 10%”, (until the final table).

The probability of bluffing may be based on position, relative to the number of players at the table and the number of players in the pot. The "Button" and "Cutoff" players could have a 90% probability of bluffing, if there are no other players in the hand and decreasing 10% for each player before them in an unraised pot and another 10% if the pot has been raised. If it's been re-raised, the chance that someone is bluffing could be down to less than 10%.

Passive/Passive (11) players are not likely to bluff at any time. If they do bluff pre-flop, they are likely to muck the hand to any bet.
Maniacs or Mental Midgets (3) could bluff at any time. They are not likely to make it to the second round unless they get lucky. They will usually make a very large bet or go All-in from Early Positions and any position if no one else is in the hand before them.

Pre-flop bluffing probability
Early Positions
Aggression factor............12..21..22

.........................(UG) 10% 20% 30%
.........................(4th) 20% 30% 40%
.........................(5th) 30% 40% 50%

Middle Positions

Aggression factor..........12..21..22
......................(6th) 40% .50% 60%
......................(7th) 50% 60% 70%

Late Positions
Aggression factor...........12..21..22
..........(8th/Raising)....60% 70% 80%
.........(Button/Cutoff).. 70% 80% 90%
........(Blinds)............ 70% 80% 90%
Reduce 10% for each caller and another 20% if someone raised.

Post-flop bluffing probability
The more players in the hand, the less likely anyone is bluffing, unless its the chip leader or a short stack or of course the Mental Midget.

Aggression factor....... 12.. 21.. 22
Early Positions.......... 10% 20% 30%
Middle Positions........ 20% 30% 40%
Late Positions........... 30% 40% 50%
Reduce 10% for each caller and another 20% if someone raised.

Pre-flop bluffing:
Early Positions (UG) Under the Gun, 4th and 5th positions.
The UG & early position raising more than the standard 3 times the big blind is more likely to be a bluff. They would most likely slow play or make a normal raise with Top 10 hands. They are likely to just call or raise more than 3 times the big blind with Type 3 or 4 hands. Going All-in is either a bluff or knowing they will end up All-in anyway if they are short stacked. Even Mental Midgets are not likely to over play the top 10 hands, but any other hand is open season for a large bet. The most likely hands for them to bluff are middle to low pairs and middle connectors or any suited Ace with a middle to low card.

Middle Positions (6th/7th)
Middle Position payers could be playing the top 15 hands normally but bluff lesser hands if no one is in the hand before them. Middle Position players are more likely to be squeezed between good hands if they are not first to bet. They are more likely to get trapped in a difficult situation, when you are trying to call a bet by a player in Early Position, but are getting raised or have a very real threat of being raised by another opponent in Late Position. This is dangerous because you may be wanting to slow down the action when you are holding a marginal hand or are wary of your opponent acting behind you in Late Position, but the Early Position player is either too aggressive or has a good hand himself and is forcing you to commit more chips to the hand. Middle Position may be the hardest place to try a bluff.

Late Positions (8th-Raising/Button/Cutoff)
Late Position players are only limited by how many players got in the hand before them and if anyone raised. With no raises and everyone else mucking, they can easily bluff with just about anything, especially if the blinds are weak players. If there are a few callers they can raise with almost any of the top 20 hands. If the pot was raised with a standard raise, they are likely to bluff only if there are weak callers and the raiser is a loose aggressive player or a Mental Midget.
Blinds
It's amazing to me how irate aggressive players become if someone raised their blinds. The more irate they are, the more vocal they are, the more likely they are bluffing or pretending, because they have a strong hand, especially if there is only one or two players left in the hand.

Post-Flop bluffing
Scare cards are likely to induce bluffing if either no one has bet or the Loose Aggressive or Mental Midget thinks no one has caught anything and wants to represent a nut hand. The more players in the hand, the less likely someone who bluffs is going to succeed.

Early Positions (1st, 2nd and 3rd positions)
Early Position raising more than 2 times the pot is more likely to be a bluff. They would still more likely slow play or make a normal raise with a set or higher. They are likely to just call or raise half the pot with top pair or a nut draw. Going All-in is either a bluff or knowing they will end up All-in anyway if they are short stacked.
Even Mental Midgets are not likely to over play a set or higher, but any other hand is open season for a larger bet. The most likely hands for them to bluff are middle to low pairs but representing top pair or nut draws with an Ace or King on the board.

Middle Positions (4th, 5th, 6th & 7th positions)
Middle Position payers are still vulnerable to being squeezed out but a bluff here could cause good drawing hands to fold. This may also be the best place for those Mental Midgets to attack if players before them are checking.

Late Positions (8th-Raising/Cutoff/Button)
Most likely to make a play if there are few still in the hand and everyone checked to them. May be a good place to bluff if someone made a small bet and it looks like the rest will fold.
The goal is to put the pressure on, by getting heads up with a good hand against a weak player, the winning hand against a good but second best hand or challenge the Mental Midgets.

Final Table
This is where bluffing becomes a fine art.
Now you are in-the-money and it's all about finishing as high as you can. The chance that someone is bluffing goes anywhere from 30% to 60%, increasing by another 10% according to the type of player you are against and your stack size relative to the average stack size. It's still going to be determined by the amount of the bet or raise in relation to the flop. If the bet or raise is un-reasonable, because the flop doesn't look like it helped anyone or the board is scary, then either someone is bluffing or they have a hand that can be beat at the river. It's rare that a bluffer will fire two bluffing bets (bullets), like a raise and re-raise or raising the flop and turn, with absolutely nothing. But, if it's going to happen, it will happen at the final table, at least once.




"I Never Bluff"

Harrington vs Snyder

Great controversy.
I've read both authors, used both strategies, and would highly recommend reading all of Dan Harrington's books as well as all of Arnold Snyder's books.
Snyder may put down Harrington too much for my comfort, but Harrington has lifetime tournament winnings of $6,319,179 and Snyder has ???????? Can't find him on any list.

That said, Snyder's greatest value has to do with card room tournaments that are too fast for skill to be of any value and Harrington doesn't even go there. I think anyone who has read any of Harrington's and/or Snyder's books, can get great value out of both, and they should be re-read as you advance in your playing skill and continue learning more about poker.

Doyle Brunson's Super System 1 & 2, is still the place to start. Dan Harrington's Zone Poker is more of a conservative approach while Arnold Snyder's Rochambeau style with the Speed and Aggression Factors are more aggressive. I think both should be used at the same time, kind of like switching gears. I've even used the Kill Phil approach in some games. I like to blend all of these into the Art of War Poker, as a playing style.

 

I Never Bluff

Mr Lucky's Law on ALL-IN

This happens more than you think. You will go all-in with the worst hand twice and win, only to go all-in later with the best hand and lose.

Avoid going all-in early in the game or in tournaments unless you have the nuts or you are short stacked and this is the best hand you have seen and the blinds are coming around to you.

Tournaments are more than just about survival, but if you want to survive, resist going all in, even at the final table.
Going All-In is not a bluffing option, unless you are the chip leader or head-to-head and have a playable hand.



All-In Plays: 

1. Made by the Chip Leader, usually with the top hand and will accept getting beat on the river, because he will still be in the game and probably still have lots of chips.
2. Made by Medium Stacks: usually means they have the top hand, possibly the nuts, and it will take a miracle or bad beat to lose. Also used by aggressive players against weak players.
3. Made by Short Stacks: Usually at least a 3:1 dog if not a 2:1 winning edge with a premium hand. Last ditch effort.
4. Made by Mental Midgets: Usually from out of position and trying to steal the blinds or when they are getting low on chips and the first to bet. They will usually try it more than once and frequently with back to back hands. They don't last long.

I Never Bluff

Mr Lucky

Updated 2/23/2017

Knowledge is POWER.
Here I am in my quest to improve, learning as much as I can about the games of poker. From Mike Sexton, "the game that takes a minute to learn but a lifetime to master". One of the things I try to do is to learn something new every day.

Trying to live each game by the Golden Rule of Poker:  

Patience is a virtue!

Golden Rule:   
Be Patient! Do not check, call, bet, raise or fold without asking yourself:

• What is this hand’s best possibility to win? 
• Who is in this hand and what is their play style and chip stack size? 

Always try to take the same amount of time to make a decision, call for "Time”, randomly.
Randomness is the key to table image! You need to create an image of being unpredictable. 

Who Am I?
According to the merge of Babylonian Celestial Omens, 2nd millennium BCE, and Egyptian Decanic Astrology, early 1st century BCE, now called Horoscopic Astrology,
I AM A GEMINI.I wonder which person showed up today?The phrasing is relevent to the other 2 parts of me as shown below.

Part 1
According to Myers-Briggs I am an E-N-T-P Extraversion - Intuiting - Thinking - Perceiving 
As far as scores go, first is Intuition (higher than the total of the other 3), second, but followed closely by Thinking, is Extraversion, and tying it all up is Perceiving.
(Interestingly, one of the side effects of Extraversion being bookended by Intuition and Thinking, is it tends to be subdued. Isn't it great to be a GEMINI?)

Any wonder why I like poker?

Extraversion: That's right! I have more than one version of what we are about to discuss. May not be what you thought, as there may be more than one version because the Gemini rules, --- Let's talk !
Intuitive: I have my own Tarot Cards and a cloudy Crystal Ball, ~~~~~ Let's Talk!!
Thinking: I think, therefore I am, I think? I'm not so sure about you though. ~~~~~ Let's talk!!!
Perceiving: Says it ALL!! You could be in trouble before you open your mouth. ~~~~~ Let's Talk!!!!
ENTP
Quick, ingenious, stimulating, alert, and outspoken. Resourceful in solving new and challenging problems. Adept at generating conceptual possibilities and then analyzing them strategically. Good at reading other people. Bored by routine, will seldom do the same thing the same way, apt to turn to one new interest after another.

Now we come to Part 2 of ME, and it's all about ME!

According to the Clifton Strength Quest TestI am - (in this order):
1: Learner
Learner People especially talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.
2: Ideation
Ideation People especially talented in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.
3: Strategic
Strategic People especially talented in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.
4: Individualization
Individualization People especially talented in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively.
5: Achiever
Achiever People especially talented in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.

Any wonder why I like poker?
In poker you need to learn everything about the game and the people. Once you have learned about them, you need to get ideas on how different people connect to the game, the thought process that people take playing the game. Once you have an idea of how different people play the game, you need a stratagy on using the information to win the game. Once you have a strategy to win, you need to adapt it to the unique qualities of each person playing the game. Once you know how to win over different people, you know how to acheive the goal of winning.
http://www.strengthsquest.com/

The Bottom Line:
Any wonder why I like poker?

"I Never Bluff"