I think he thinks, that I think he thinks I have a set. Sounds confusing, right? Well, this is levels of thinking; when you not only think about what you have, but also what your opponent might have, and what he thinks you might have, and so on.
The key to effectively using this line of thought is to always be thinking one level ahead of your opponent. To do this you must first understand what level your opponent is thinking at.
Does he only play his cards? If so, then he is a level 1 player.
Does he try to put his opponents on a hand? If so, then he is a level 2 player.
Does he think about what his opponent thinks he has? If so, then he is a level 3 player.
Obviously, this can go on and on. However if your opponents are thinking past level 3 there is likely a better game for you to be sitting in.
So, if your opponent is thinking at level 2 (not only playing his hand, but trying to deduce your holding) you need to be thinking level 3; what does this guy think I have, and how can I use that to decieve him. If your opponent is thinking level 1, then thinking level 3 does you no good; you must dumb down your thinking to level 2 where simply putting him on a hand is enough.
In poker you want to be one step ahead of your opponent, being two or more ahead is too much, and you’ll end up outsmarting yourself.
