Are you on auto-pilot? Is sometimes your poker game an after thought? A lot of players, once they get comfortable with the game sometimes allow themselves to get distracted and make their decisions based on rote strategy.

Distracted players often give off what some call a “distracted tell”. When they miss or hold a nothing hand, it’s obvious that they loose interest in the pot and their mind goes back to the game or what ever else is going on in the room. On the flip side of this, when they maintain interest, you know that you must adjust your play as you are more likely to face competition.

Poker is fluid. There are very few constants. Games change. Moods change. Players change. You have to be constantly aware of and adjust to those changes. Always look for anything you can that might give someone away. Who is watching TV and who is paying attention? Who wants to win and who is gambling? Are they playing in a style that’s in a book you read? Who has changed since the last hand? As a player you must be aware of changes and more importantly, the strategies that you must utilize to adapt to those changes.

Deception in poker is fundamental to your success, and you will notice its importance as you move up to higher stakes levels. Basically predicted behavior should be avoided at all costs when you play poker. This will make it harder for your opponents to put you on a hand, or read what you have, which will mean more than likely you will have a profit.

If you ask a novice player to define deception, they might say that it all has to do with bluffing, and that is the reason why they would stay a novice.

If you bet or raised every time you thought you had a good hand, and checked or folded every time you though your hand was bad, eventually other players will catch on and you will end up loosing all of your chips. Strong players will run circles around you. In order to maximize your wins it’s important to deceive your opponents by either showing strength (betting or raising, even re-raising when you don’t have a made hand) or showing weakness (checking when you’re strong).

Players who are aggressive can take over tables and dictate terms. Passive players who call might still win their fair share of hands but only when they have cards. Why limit yourself? You want to establish a table personality that causes fear not complacency.

Deception is an art. Be creative, and think smart. Again, the last thing you want to be is predictable.