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What’s a hot streak? Is it something that should affect the
way you play?
Well, if you’re sitting there winning many hands no matter what mediocre
cards you started with, your straights fill in and your flushes come to
fruition, and your opponents are seeing your chips pile up — it seems to
everyone like either you’re a poker genius or that a good fairy is hovering
over, waving her wand at you — you’re on a streak. A rush. A hot string of
cards.
The thing you should understand is that it’s random. Normal variation has
brought it about, but the fact that you got your lucky card on the river the
last 3 hands running does NOT mean it is statistically any more likely to happen
on your next hand. Cards are neutral, not divinely drawn to you. Don’t count on
luck continuing.
What you can count on is your psychology, and that of other people. Luck has
a good effect on you and your confidence level. It has an influence on how the
others at the table play back at you. They will react to the lucky events that
surrounded you up to now: They will be cowed to some extent. This may be a bit
of superstition on their
part, if they happen to have a very good idea that your wins are due to luck
because you’re not a perfect player. But it’s natural for them to still act as
if it were you doing it yourself.
Now, you have to truly know your own skill level. If you’re not good, being
on a rush may cause you to become worse. A cautious, tight player might be led
to make some sudden moves when he sees the cards are coming to him, poor moves;
but he happens to win anyway. Then he does it again.
But if you know you’re a good poker player and know good starting hands and
how hand values change according to the action, your position, and what cards
you’re probably playing against; then winning and the resulting confidence from
winning can help you play even better. You can play some hands you ordinarily
wouldn’t, because you know when to drop these when they aren’t improving. You
feel now you can "afford" to because of the win. You know they might pay off
very well indeed, you just didn’t want to chance it before. But now your betting
comfort zone has increased just a little, temporarily. That comfort zone will go
back to what it was before, but that’s okay. We’re talking about the phenomenon
of the hot streak.
The reaction of other players to you while you’re winning is extremely
advantageous. They will start respecting your raises and folding more often,
even when they shouldn’t fold. They will do it when they have invested amounts
in the pot that actually called for them to stay the course. And they’ll call or
just check instead of raising you — allowing you a chance to catch your card at
the end. If you have a made hand already, then their calling is that much worse
for them. And they’re doing it, really, out of superstition. Our psychology is a
great thing
Source: Poker Magazine
