Level Two Thinking

While a Level One thinker considers nothing beyond the two cards he/she is holding in evaluating whether or not to play a hand, the Level Two thinker moves one step beyond that, trying to work out what his opponent holds as well before taking action. The vast majority of players that you find online fit into this category, and unless you have evidence to the contrary, you should usually assume that your opponent(s) is playing that type of game.

One of the dangers of Level Two thinking is automatically putting your opponent on the same range of hands as you yourself would employ in a particular situation. For example, let’s say a player at your table raises three times the big blind from under the gun. Now, you may be the type of player who would only make that play with a huge hand, such as one of the top four pairs or A-K suited. However, it is wrong to simply assume that this other player is only playing the same range.

Careful observation is necessary to see whether he seems to raise an unusually high percentage of the time in that position, as that would be a strong indication that he is playing a much wider range, and simply trying to take the blinds and antes from early position by scaring people out of the pot. Never make assumptions about anyone else based on what they “should” do at any point in a hand. Rather, watch studiously, take notes when they show down hands that depart from solid play, and take advantage of it later on.

A Level Two player will bluff more logically than a Level One thinker, whose plays often seem to be random. The Level Two player will try and get a read on what you have, and make a move when he senses that you are weak. Often, this will take the form of checking to you in position post-flop, and then raising your continuation bet, or waiting until the turn to try and take the hand away from you.

Many times, his play will be based exclusively on the assumption that you started with a couple of high cards and missed when the flop came with all low cards or just one high card. In these situations, he himself may not have a hand either, but is just trying to push you off your hand with his aggression.

The best way to combat a Level Two thinker is to put yourself in a Level Three mindset, meaning that your consideration is “What does HE think I have?” As you become more adept at understanding this level, you will get a better sense of where your opponent is at in the hand, and will be able to effectively play back at him when he makes an assumption about your cards and is weak himself.

Since most Level Two thinkers will be operating from the error mentioned above, meaning that they will put you on hands that THEY themselves would play, it can serve you well to trap them with hands that they will not expect you to be playing. For example, if a tight-aggressive Level Two opponent saw you raise in early position, he will expect you to have high cards, and will try and take the pot away from you on a low board. But if you mix your game up so that you sometimes make that raise with lower suited connectors, you have the opportunity to take a huge pot from him by letting him bet himself into a corner trying to push you off the hand he “knows” you have.