Learning about people

I've been wondering for a while what has poker done for me? And the weird thing is that a long time ago it has taught me the value of outward and hidden motives.

It might sound strange and maybe a little cynical, but it has taught me to consider why people do one thing outwardly when secretly they're hoping to benefit from it. This is not always the case as I do believe there are more actions more altruistic in nature than selfish but in some ways I tend to think a little more as to why people do things.

I used to be bluffed all the time. And I probably still have my pots stolen from me all the time, but at least now I don't think a raise is always a show of actual strong hands. Sometimes a strong raise might just be a bluff. The outward appearance of a VERY big raise for a very small pot might cause concern for the amateur poker player, but to become an experienced poker player every raise should be considered and evaluated in this way:

"Why is he/she raising"
"What does he/she want me to do"
"How does that benefit him/her"

As always, consider the actual opponent when asking this about poker. A more experienced player might know you know this, and will over raise a pot in the hopes you think he's bluffing. And now that you know, you can watch out for that. But now that he knows that you know he knows......... Anyway, the point is not to stick to this algorithm, but to always evaluate who your opponent is, why he/she is doing it, and what they want you to do.

This skill that I've acquired from poker is nice in that it not only benefits my game, but also makes me one heck of a cynic sometimes.