Leveling

Leveling is a process in which poker players look beyond their cards and start thinking about other aspects of the hand. There are several levels to this process, which is where it gets its name from.

The simplest way to explain it is to imagine that there are several levels to the game of poker, and the better you get, the deeper you’re able to go.

• On the first level, you’re just thinking about your cards and not much else.

• On the second level, you start thinking about your opponent’s cards as well and how their holdings influence your plans for the hand.

• When you reach the third level, you begin to think about what your opponent might be thinking about your hand. If they’re using logic similar to yours, you can have a pretty good idea of what their perception of your hand is. So, now you try to factor that knowledge into your decision-making process.

This process can go even deeper at the highest level, which is where real poker leveling wars happen. But, if you ever hear a poker commentator or a player saying, “he knows that I know…,” that’s poker leveling in a nutshell.