Intensity - The Power of Perception
I went digging around in my mind this morning, trying to unearth principles I use in my poker game that aren’t as commonly taught or discussed.
I came across the concept of what I like to call Intensity, which happens to be one of the most important ways that I evaluate my opponents.
So, let’s discuss what intensity is, and how you should use it to alter your decisions at the table to become an even stronger player!
What is Intensity?
Intensity has nothing to do with a player’s general level of aggression or their knowledge of the game, at least by definition.*
Intensity is, simply put, being observant and reactive.
A high-intensity player pays attention, processes and remembers information well, and persistently makes reads based on that information.
Sherlock Holmes is the epitome of high-intensity.
Most wouldn’t notice the one-word slip in your story or a speck of dirt on your shoe. Good luck getting it by Holmes.
A high-intensity player must also have the confidence and bravery to act on those deductions.
At the poker table, it’s one thing to sense weakness. It’s another to put your chips in every single time you do in order to take advantage of it.
*The highest-intensity players tend to be aggressive and knowledgeable because being knowledgeable and high-intensity means you’ll want to capitalize on many situations with aggression.
Playing with High-Intensity Players
I expect you all know how to categorize players as loose or tight, passive or aggressive, and many of you know some good ways to exploit those tendencies. I expect fewer of you have categorized players based on high and low intensity, and it’s one of my favorites, which is why I wanted to write this for you!
If I’ve shown down two bluffs after check-calling flop, the turn checking through, and betting 1/3 pot in a spot where every draw got there, I assume that a high-intensity player has noticed this.
A lower-intensity player might have noticed one or both of the times, but only that I bet 1/3 pot with a bluff, rather than noting the pattern between the hand action and board types.
The lowest-intensity players haven’t noticed, haven’t cared to store it in their memory, or won’t bother to change their future decisions based on it.
The Preflop Spot
Imagine you’re playing $2/$5NL. $800 deep.
Your image is that of a competent player, but you tend to get involved in too many pots preflop.
A splashy player opens to $20, and two weak-tight players call in a way that indicates relative weakness to you. (This could be a tell, or observation that they’d always 3-bet decent hands in this spot)
You’re next to act in the HJ.
There’s $67 in the pot, one player with a wide range, and two others with capped ranges.
This is a great squeeze spot. Almost free money for the taking.
You hope for any two reasonable cards, and look down at A♣️A❤️.
It’s normally a big mistake to slowplay a hand like this, even given your reads on their ranges.
But, what about the players behind you?
If they are four passive or low-intensity players, raise it up!
But, if the button is $170 deep, the SB and BB cover you, and they’re all high-intensity players, this becomes a great slowplay spot.
Why?
The great squeeze (bluff) spot you had got even better once you called with your loose preflop image. High-intensity players will notice this and act on it! In addition, your reads mean that if you 3-bet yourself, your opponents are very likely to fold, meaning that a 3-bet is lower value than it should be with aces.
If you call, the high-intensity button will notice that this is a great spot to jam 20% of hands. Both blinds might squeeze 25% each. Even the low-intensity CO might wake up with a few good 3-betting hands.
This means that by calling, you’ll face a 3-bet over 55% of the time!
The players in front of you are likely to fold, but maybe the opener wakes up with A♦️Q♦️, or maybe one of the callers decides to peel with 7♠️7❤️. And even if they fold, you’ve still got a ton of money into the pot with dominating equity before you act.
Since we all like a conclusion:
In this actual fictional hand, you call, the SB makes it $150. Folded to you, who decides to call.
K♦️4❤️4♠️ ($365)
SB bets $75, you call.
6❤️ ($515)
SB bets $150, you call.
9♠️ ($815)
SB puts you all in for $425, you call.
SB shows Q❤️J♣️ and you double up 🎉
Know Thy Opponent
There have been many times in my career where I’ve orchestrated the perfect slowplay, or masterfully represented weakness based on thousands of hands of history, only to have a low-intensity opponent pay no attention, look at their hand, and make whatever lazy play they felt like.
This is why it’s critical to understand the intensity level of your opponents – not only their default state, but their current state.
Sometimes, a normally high-intensity player is trying to lock up a win. Sometimes they’ve slept four hours and are on autopilot. Sometimes they’re watching the basketball game.
Save your genius plays for opponents who are focused enough to notice what you want them to notice, and bold enough to react to it.
Beyond Hand Reading
As crucial as hand-reading is, reading your opponent’s range up to this point in the hand is only half of the story.
The rest of the money is unlocked when you can read the future.
What’s my opponent’s range, and what are they going to do with it next?
Intensity isn’t the only attribute that helps you unravel that mystery, but it’s one of the most important.
P.S.
As should be clear, being a high-intensity player is very valuable, so long as you do it well. (It’s possible to constantly notice and react to clues, but to usually be wrong!)
To become high-intensity is no easy task, though. Perhaps that’s a topic I’ll try to tackle another day!
Meanwhile: For those of you who prefer to watch a video over reading, I’ve recently converted a couple of my most-liked posts into YouTube videos. You can find them on my YouTube channel!
Why You’re Stuck (How to Improve at Poker)
Perform Like a Pro (How to Make Better Decisions)
