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Sorry, I just had to comment here..
Most pros say they would rather be able to read players than do the math..
Do you agree with this or is what you are saying is just your opinion??
Thanks........

Depends on where you play poker. If you play poker online, the mathematical approach will make you generate profit for you over the long-term. (If you want me to back this up with sources, I will dive into it again. But I highly recommend you to do this yourself, as that's where you learn stuff :-) )
If you play poker offline (e.g. at casino) body language is dominant, and indeed, once the pro players notice you play mathematically offline you will get Rekt. The fun thing is, manipulation is easier than most people think. Just walk away on time when you have gained your winnings. Act like a beginner when you join the table, play very mathematically the first 5-10 rounds (while steadily increasing your input with JND (Just noticeable difference), and then lure the others into betting along with you when they think you have bad cards. The only downside of this is, you must analyze your fellow players without anybody noticing this. The folks at normal casinos tend to be easy distracted due to the alcohol consumption, make use of it. That's how I have done it in the past, earned me some nice money in a short amount of time.

When a competitor obviously gets emotional how do you know if he does that due to a very good or very bad hand?
On my opinion you need to follow your own strategy first and then probably add reading the other's behavior. If you play tight e.g. it actually doesn't matter if the other players are drunk gamblers or professional poker stars 😉
PS: Just won $150 in the 1-2 no limit game - post to be published on steemit soon...😎

That depends on how the competitor acted on previous hands, when analyzing a person you need to have a threshold of their behavior (just an example): if person A blinks a couple of times looking at his chips before setting his bet, and wins with a very strong hand, you have an indication that the blinking is his 'give away'. But it doesn't have to be blinking, could be a specific muscle in his neck, hand movement, checking cards etc. Look for a threshold, and you're good to go :) ( I gained this information by reading 'What every body is saying: An Ex-FBI agent's guide to speed-reading people' by Joe Navarro. Practised a lot with it myself on how to detect these thresholds. Awesome book btw, highly recommend it, tons of great info).
Well, to each their own of course. Strategies differ per person :P But when I am playing poker myself, I try to utilize mathematics and body language.
Gratz on your winnings! That is awesome ^.^ I'm more of a roulette player myself, gained 2x300 euro's last week in 2 visits, while being 30 minutes in the casino itself. :)

Good reasoning Tim..I'm pretty much on the same page..I once flopped a full boat & I checked to the river where my opponent completed his straight..All I had to see was his eyes pop open when it landed on the felt..Boy was I smiling on the inside..Needless to say it was an all in pot..
The best part was when I cashed out after my 4 hr run, I met him on the was out & he congratulated me for a will played hand & asked me if I played any tournaments which I replied, nit yet..My dream is to play for a bracelet..For the thrill & experience of it all..WooHoo!!

Oh man, those stories get me excited haha! I'm so happy for you, lovely to hear! Keep it up!

Thanks Tim..
I wanted to play in the Tournament on Sunday night in the Steemit Poker League, but the password that we have to supply isn't encrypted on the 72 BLUFFAVENUE site..Bummer!!

That's ashame, on the other hand, there are tons of tournaments you can join if you want to :P

Thanks for the response Tim..
@tuck-fheman mentioned PokerStars..
If it's more sercure, I'll check it out..

I'm totally aware of that 😉
However to me it's a great opportunity to learn. I'd always favor playing and losing over not playing - or burning money gambling around.
But thanks for the idea 🙂✌️

Haha you really prefer play and lose than to not play? Well, we definitely share a different opinion about that xD I prefer to play and win for sure! :P

Me, too. But swinging up and down is part of the game 😉