Micro and Macro Poker
Don't miss one article! Subscribe to the Full Feed RSS or get NPA in your inbox.
Please forgive me in advance for a brief pontification this month. I have a very practical view of my poker writing: people read my stuff because it helps them make more money. They don’t read it to appreciate my eloquence or erudition, and they don’t care to hear my opinion on this thing or that. They want to know what I can do for their bankrolls. And that suits me fine.
This month is a bit about me, or, more specifically, about how I think about poker. I’m writing it because I think that some of you might find it thought-provoking. I hope so, at least, because otherwise these are wasted words.
Periodically, I’ll read an article about “feel” players versus “math” players. The “feel” players lob a shell: “Math players just don’t get it. They make all their calculations, but they just play like robots. A little feel will beat a robot any day.”
Then the “math” defender strikes back: “At its core, poker is math. Math can’t be wrong; it is truth itself. To deny math is to deny your nose.”
The remainder of this article is insider content available to premium members only. Log in to your account or become a premium member and get instant access.
Tags: feel-players, macro-poker, math-players, micro-poker, poker, poker-psychology, two-plus-two, twoplustwo
I was BB and the PFR though I looked but I did not and to this day I do not know what my two cards were – pure macro imo.
Cool article Ed, I have had similar thoughts and I always called Macro poker ‘playing poker’ and Micro poker ‘playing cards’ – I like your terms better and I will use those going forward. I’m a math guy mostly (computer geek) and I strive to be a better Macro player. That is how we can move up in limits eventually. My humble opinion is that playing just Micro poker will get run over at higher limits without the necessary Macro skills. The Micro can be learned easier and faster but the Macro takes more effort and skills. Some people are just natural poker players (Marco) and they do well faster.