Improper Motivations in Reading Poker Opponents

Most times we find opponents accurately reading poker opponents and yet losing in the end. What is wrong with these kinds of hand readers?

For instance, we have a KK and we do all kinds of obvious stuffs with it, like raise pre-flop and just keep betting all throughout the play. One player turns the flop and gets a flush draw, then makes it on the river. We keep on the betting, even on the river. This player calls. On the river we reveal our hand and then we find the player knew our hand all along. So, why didn't this player decide to raise us on the river?

When players are improperly motivated they have the tendency to act opposite their findings on their reading poker opponents. Having a 7 and 8 while the flop reads A85 we might fold when not motivated well and the going gets tough. A lot of times folding is the correct option, especially when it's almost impossible to call. However, it's a different matter altogether when what we what we have is a good hand but doesn't play well in a certain game. Then we are wrongly motivated to call—and the problems begin.

Often, we are motivated to call just to prove we've been right all along. For instance, we have a, A10. We decide to raise prior the flop. Positioned from the big blind, a tight player re-raises us. We decide to call. The flop comes and reads A72. The tight opponent bets and we decide to raise. Tight player then decides to re-raise us. We read the tight player to have an AK or perhaps even a set—most players will probably also have that read. So, with 3 outs and unimproved pot odds, we decide to fold. Here, we act properly based on reading poker opponents.

Other players would probably go on calling, continuing their play to the turn and river while aware of their losing hand based on reading poker opponents. Why? Probably to make a point and prove themselves right. They would keep calling to the end to confirm their hunch on the opponent's hand. In this way, they feel they "beat" the tight player in another contest

When we are motivated improperly—just to prove we are correct in reading our opponents—we often lose our main goal in the game. We just settle for getting accurate reads rather than winning the pot.