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The Action-Reaction Link in Poker
by the_Hawk

"… for as a man shall sow, so also shall he reap.” (Galatians 6:7)

We normally see the above in a slightly simpler proverbial form, along the lines of: “… as ye sow, so shall ye reap.” However it is worded, the message seems clear. We get what we deserve in the end. There is a clear and definite link between our actions and the consequences. We are in control of our own destinies. Many poker players - particularly those with at least a moderate level of experience and a degree of commitment to the game - are acutely conscious of these sentiments.

Beginning poker players often struggle with the concept that the link between actions and their consequences are often far from straightforward, at least in the short term. Poker books, articles and forum posts constantly remind us to remember the sometimes debilitating effect of luck and variance on our short-term results. However, in poker the link between our actions and their consequences is often much subtler than we sometimes realise.

Let’s take the general issue of bluffing as an example. This illustrates clearly how players at differing levels appreciate the action-reaction link in different ways. Beginning players often overestimate the importance of bluffing. More importantly, they typically view bluffing as a means to an end - as a way of stealing pots to which they are otherwise not entitled. Here, there is a trivial link between the action (the bluff) and the reaction (whether they win the pot). They will only see value in the immediate success - or otherwise - of the bluff. Most importantly of all, their decision-making processes are centred wholly on the immediate hand in question. The decision to run a bluff is based on whether they think it will win them this hand.

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