However when your opponent is not only prepared for an attack but is also skilled at handling one when it arrives then making the first move isnt such a good idea anymore. This is where risking your own safety by committing to an aggressive move can backfire. The art of counter attack is well documented in many fields and poker is no different. In some sessions that I Play Texas Holdem then I often try to take advantage of over aggressive poker players and I kind of use their momentum as a weapon against them.

This is akin to some types of martial arts where you can use your opponents body weight and momentum against them. Another link between martial arts and poker is in the waiting that needs to be exercised before the right moment arrives for you to strike. Many players get lost in the heat of the moment in both combat and in poker and start thrashing around all over the place.

In no-limit Texas Holdem where you can win opponents entire stacks then it only takes one well timed move to win a lot of money. In combat you dont need to be throwing punches all over the place and one well timed blow can end the contest. Many people who are unskilled in fighting try to win fights by brute force simply by throwing lots of punches and hoping that several of them land and then do enough damage to turn the contest in their favour.

This type of approach really only succeeds against other unskilled fighters who show less aggression and throw less punches than they do. Against skilled opponents then this approach does not work. This is exactly the same as a player who comes onto a poker table and starts betting and raising all over the place in an attempt to bully the entire table. It would take a very weak line up of players to allow this to happen although it is certainly possible.

But when you throw punches in combat then you are committing not just your body but also your own safety. In poker when you do this then you are committing your money by betting and raising like this and these are risks at the end of the day. You really need to know the skill level of your opponent to be aggressive and this happens in martial arts and in poker in equal measures.

Hellmuth To Host Charity Poker Tournament
Charity poker event hosted by Phil Hellmuth will take place at an Arizona casino in November.