It can be hard to evaluate the strategy behind making a big read, because hands like those rely on a player\u2019s subjective evaluation of his opponent. <\/p>\n
In the example video shown below, Phil Hellmuth calls down JC Tran\u2019s triple barrel bluff with middle pair\u2014despite the fact that two of the flopped draws hit on the river. Was it a good call? If Phil observes that JC bluffs too often in those situations, then sure it was. But if Phil is just guessing–or hoping–that JC likes to bluff in those spots, then his call was a mistake. <\/p>\n
Being able to make a \u2018good read\u2019 as opposed to an \u2018ambitious read\u2019 is contingent on what you\u2019ve learned about your opponents through studying them. It\u2019s tempting to zone out at the table\u2014and I like staring in my phone too\u2014but gathering info is mandatory for knowing who\u2019s capable of what. Is that young guy across the table scared money in his first tournament, or an anonymous online pro who knows better than to say anything? Is that foreign player simply a tourist having fun, or a veteran from another region? You won\u2019t know without watching, so get in the habit of it. <\/p>\n
And that\u2019s watching people in the hands you\u2019re not playing, let alone the ones you do. Of course, when it comes time to make a big read, you\u2019re going to assess your opponent\u2019s body language. <\/p>\n
Most professionals know to hold still and stay quiet during big hands, but casual players are often less composed. I asked the best players I know what they look for in these moments, and Dan Smith put it succinctly when he said \u201cDoes the guy look comfortable?\u201d In my experience, when casual players make a big bet, but look comfortable, they have it. That doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that people who look uncomfortable don\u2019t have it (because some players get nervous whenever they\u2019re in a big pot), but the likelihood that they\u2019re bluffing increases when they’re nervous. <\/p>\n
Lastly, to make a correct big read, you have to risk being wrong…and looking stupid if you\u2019re being filmed. Using your read to run a heroic bluff, or make an improbable hero call, sounds awesome–right until your opponent tables the nuts. You might walk away from the table thinking you threw your tournament away, and you might even be right. But the guy who\u2019s unwilling to be wrong will never find out.<\/p>\n