As well as being a game of skill with a touch of luck, there is a psychological aspect to the game of poker.  Whether playing poker live or playing online poker, psychology and understanding of the human mind plays a significant role in being a winning player at the poker table.

The biggest rule in mastering poker psychology is that you should respect preconceived notions that you have about a player.  In other words, in the world of poker psychology, it is acceptable and encouraged for players to stereotype other players until they prove your preconceived notion wrong.  More accurately, if you have observed that most Asian players tend to have a wide hand range, betting and bluffing often - play against them under that belief until they prove you wrong.  Additionally, if you have observed that poker players hailing from Romania tend to put in big river bluffs when they miss, look them up when the situation arises and continue playing under such beliefs until they prove you wrong.  Most players stand true to their stereotypical playing style, so by operating under these beliefs, you will be right more often than you are wrong.

Poker is a thinking game and it is important that you are able to think about poker at a high level when appropriate.  While you need to be able to think on a high level when at the tables, you do not want to over think a hand if your opposition is not capable of thinking at a high level.  Some poker players are unable to think beyond their own hand, meaning that they only think about how strong their own hand is.  Other poker players think about how strong their opposition’s hand is.  More skillful and cerebral poker players think on a far higher level, pondering things such as what does this guy think that I think he has and what does he think I think he thinks I have?  By understanding the level of thinking of your opposition, you will avoid the mistake of over thinking your hand, as it is imperative to think along the same level as your opposition.