Ryan Carter

In poker, there has always been a big debate between logical thinking and
intuition. The logical thinkers are math guys, who think every play must be
broken down and analyzed before the right play can be determined. Those
gifted with intuition laugh that off and explain that they just "know" what
the other players have.

So, which one is right? What if you're not a math genius with a PHD in game
theory or don't naturally posses the intuition of Stu Ungar or Doyle
Brunson? Those not naturally gifted in these two areas must find a middle
ground that maximizes the skills they do have, whilst constantly working to
improve both.

In my experience, there's nothing stronger than using your intuition to make
decisions at a poker table. When you get a tingling sensation going down
your back that says you're beat, it's usually right. If you don't believe
me, during your next few sessions make a note whenever you must choose
between your first instinct and a well reasoned decision. I'm willing to bet
that your instincts are right an overwhelmingly large percentage of the
time.

Have you ever stopped to wonder why you get these intuitions and where you
poker instincts come from? No matter how much we want to believe, they are
not magical powers given to us at birth in order to dominate the game and
change the poker world forever.

The sensation of knowing the answer, without explanation, is a process
designed for survival. Back in times when our safety was at risk we were
often forced to make quick decisions or face death.

Spending time reasoning out the answer would only make you a meal for a very
hungry tiger. Luckily, some of us were able to develop intuition which
allows us to call up past experiences and knowledge very rapidly, giving us
the answers necessary to survive.

Thankfully, we no longer live in a world where tigers randomly jump out and
try to eat our faces, but the process of intuition still occurs. So, how
does this apply to poker? When you're faced with an important decision the
stress of the moment triggers your brain to start searching for the solution
at warp speed. Before you even realize that you're looking for anything,
your brain has scanned every piece of information and has devised the answer
it deems best. Since your brain believed this information was essential for
your survival, you can be very confident that the decision is solid.

Does this mean you should toss out all your poker books, forget the websites
you read, stop posting in forums and just start playing poker from your gut?
Absolutely not! The only reason you have poker instincts is because you have
experience and knowledge about the game. The most basic level is gained
simply from playing a lot of poker. Once you have a few hundred thousand
hands under your belt, your brain really has a lot to work with. Higher
levels of intuition are gained by studying the game and breaking down
scenarios logically. Deconstructing poker hands after they occur gives your
brain so much more information than simply playing the hand. This allows you
to make faster and more accurate decisions at the table.

Intuition and instincts are a tough phenomenon to pinpoint. Nobody knows
exactly how they work, but it's certain that they're very powerful. You
won't receive these sensations in every hand, so you must be prepared to
reason out common situations accurately. When you do get that tingle down
your spine and you just know he's bluffing you, at least now you'll know why
it's there. Your brain is a wonderful machine and will often spoon feed you
correct plays. Now that you understand your instincts the most important
step is learning to act on them.

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