Interesting title, I know.
Anyway, it seems that recently I’ve been in a mindset in which I think that whoever my opponent is, he/she must have the nuts, always. For example, if the board reads 9QK and I have AK, I automatically assume my opponent has 10 J or KQ. One of many problems with this mindset is not getting max value out of a hand that very well could be ahead.
Another problem I have that goes along with not getting max value out of a hand is thinking that my opponent always has a hand that could end up better than mine. Obviously this is the case most of the time, but I’m thinking in terms of open-ended straight draw, flush draw, etc. that have a very legitimate chance of beating me. Again, with this mindset, I’ll probably bet the flop way too big for my opponent to call, thus not getting max value out of the hand. Sure, I won the hand, but sometimes it’s taking a few risks that propel you to a tournament victory.
Especially in online play, you have to believe that players are going to put their money in the pot with far less than the nuts far more often than a typical live player would. Be smart about your choices and play the hand through in your head before you decide that you’re beat - it may just reveal an answer that you’re not expecting.
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