Our Texas Holdem Calculator and the Opponent

odds calculators for poker are fast and automatic. They do a lot of hard work for us—assisting us from hand selection to final winning strategies. But there is sometimes a wrong use for odds calculators for Texas Holdem. We should watch out for this error.

When playing Holdem online and using a calculator we should remember to always keep a sharp eye at the opponent. We need to know what the reactions of the opponent are. This gives us a hint of what the opponent might do next. Hence, too much focus on the odds calculator may deprive us of the benefits of watching our opponent.

Powerful calculators tend to make us over dependent on them. We become practically addicts for their opinions so that we just rely on what they think about the table situation. This may seem an obvious warning but this mostly happens in actual games. Many players forget that there are things Holdem calculators cannot figure out and which are vital things to consider.

Just think of how bluffing can be done without being noticed by some calculators or how important online poker tells can be caught only by the eyes. And how about our proven hunches about a situation? Sometimes a calculator will advice us to pursue a hand only to find out later that we should have folded it. Simply put, even powerful calculators are not perfect.

Odds calculators should merely aid our own senses. We should still watch with our eyes what the opponent is doing at the same time that our calculator is gathering other table data. Think of what both calculators and our wit and skill can do for our winnings.

We make special mention here of players going on tilts and amateurish players who keep messing their plays. These are things we should carefully look for at the table so we'd know who's getting out of control and who to profit from. Lots of times we also use our senses to detect betting patterns.

The benefits of using an odds calculator for Texas Holdem are manifold, and it can triple our skills in the game. In fact we can play several games all at once with it. But relying entirely on it can also mess up things. We must use our own judgment aided by how the Holdem calculator sees things.

So watch what the opponent is doing—especially the opponent's reaction. Then verify by what the calculator is saying.