Poker Tactics - War is Deception

Sun Tzu had a powerful description of war:

War is deception

I think most people like poker because it's a little like a war - a psychological war.  And there's money and risk involved - perhaps even girls will like you.  War is hell.  Poker is fun.

There is a lot of art in both war and poker.  Sometimes it is won by the sneak attack and not the best weapons or stoutest warriors. Sometimes it is luck that breaks the tie.  Predictability in either war or poker can be a fatal weakness. 

I think that the best poker players understand this.  They try to conceal their intentions and above all conceal their card strength. The best players don't just play one strategy.  They vary play according to what the other guys think. Then they vary it again to take advantage of what other people assume about how they are playing. They change their betting value, when to bet, and how to act.

So if you want to win more hands, be unpredictable to a certain degree.