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Introduction:

Many players are familiar with the following situation: you're playing at 4 or more tables, focused on implementing your theoretical knowledge as efficiently as possible. After just a short time, you find yourself playing below par and more or less avoiding all the strenuous thought processes that are necessary to play the hand optimally. You fall into a lacklustre routine, neglecting the reaction from the opposition or the texture of the board, missing important valuebets and giving up freecards.
The following article does not aim to reinvent the wheel, rather it is meant to suggest a method for applying what is already known to the greatest effect. For this reason, it is directed at players who already have good theoretical knowledge of the concepts discussed. This article cannot compensate for a lack of theory!

So as to avoid undermining the complex decision making needed throughout a hand, I prepare a script for myself that I run through mentally. At first it will be difficult to remember all the factors, or to categorize the situation correctly and react accordingly, but the more you practice this kind of analytical thinking the more automated this process will become.

Psychologists in the field of learning assume that a large portion of people exhibit what are more or less complex scripts in their behavior, assignments, and demands in all areas of their work – and also in their social life. I maintain that in poker too, scripting can give many players a performance boost.

Scripting is not a fully automated, unquestionable process; it's more about a dynamic approach that does have boundaries. And here you must deepen your understanding of poker theory and post unclear or difficult hands.

The scripting process outlined below is far from ideal, however it's enough to give you an idea of the questions and difficulties that arise from different hand situations.

Next article: Gambling addiction - Cause, outcome and a way out
 

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