One thing that I have learned as I have increased my knowledge about the game of poker is that I suffer from what could be detrimental to many players: fancy play syndrome. But not only do I suffer from that, I also seem to be struggling with reverse fancy play syndrome. I am not sure that is even a term or not, but I will explain.

I am constantly thinking about the game. I am a member of one of the best, if not the best, poker training sites around: PokerXFactor. I have not only read, but have studied and highlighted a ton of poker books and magazines. All have really helped a ton with my game. I know that I am a much better player today than what I was two years ago. Unfortunately, some of the results haven’t come like I had hoped.

Then when I was recently playing up in Atlantic City on a friend’s bachelor party, my eyes were opened to just how bad some of the play is and how little people know about poker. Is this how people play on the internet too? This can’t be. When I can put a face to the player and actually have a side conversation with some of these players I can better understand what they are thinking or maybe I should say not thinking.

For the last two years I feel I have surrounded myself with the better players out there. The ones that are already great players or are trying to become great like I am. It is the conversations that we have either directly or indirectly through forum posts that I base my overall poker-related thoughts on.

Sounds like a good thing right? Well what if I said it could potentially be a bad thing, especially when playing at the bankroll levels that I am currently. It is through these resources that I learn how it can be profitable to make certain plays and it might overall be better to play a certain way over another.

These same people that are offering the advice aren’t playing the same game of poker that I am right now though. They are playing the game at its purest form, when their opponents are thinking to at least at a similar level.

But when I am firing up a $10 mtt on Pokerstars, I can’t expect the play to be the same as I just saw when watching a video with a tournament more than 10 times the buy-in that I am in. The plays that work at that level will not work at the same frequency in the tournament I am in, thus making a play frowned upon.

Yet, I am always seeing great opportunities to make plays. Many times I am following through with these plays. Often times they work, but that is being results oriented as I have come to realize that not all of these plays work often enough to show profit in the long term. This is the basis of fancy play syndrome.

To quote from a Betfair article written by Marcus Bateman:

The idea of ‘fancy play syndrome’ was first pointed out by the ‘mad genius’ of poker – Mike Caro. What he is referring to is when players start making overly complex plays that are simply not profitable over the long term.

That is exactly what I find myself doing on a consistent basis over the last year or so. It just took a session or two of live poker for me to uncover it. But it didn’t stop there. I feel like I am also suffering from reverse fancy play syndrome.

I have searched the internet to see if such a thing even exists, at which point I either was searching the wrong term, or it doesn’t exist.

If I had to define reverse fancy play syndrome, it would be similar to the following:

When trying to factor in what one’s opponent might be doing in a specific poker hand, he or she might give too much credit to the idea that the opponent is making an overly complex play.

The building blocks for playing this way is by giving my opponent the extra lessons to their repertoire that I have worked hard to learn. I essentially am thinking multiple levels over the level that my opponent is on, thus hurting the chances that I will make the correct move in the hand.

So as I have broadened my poker thinking abilities, I have at the same time left behind the way I use to think. The way that was overall unprofitable, but might have been profitable against the player that I am today. It is not that I forgot how I used to think about the game, it is just that I don’t necessarily think anything like that today, and assume others have done the same.

So recently, instead of just listening to the advice from the well-respected players out there. I like to listen to what some of the less well known players out there have to say, many of whom might be overall losers in this game. But by me taking the time to listen to these players, I am staying in touch with the fact that not everyone thinks about a hand the same way.

Also I have been playing an extremely simple way in my sessions as of recent. It has really shown to do wonders for my game too. I feel that I am just that much closer to regularly killing the games that my bankroll currently allows me to play.

So next time you are browsing through the forums do not just jump to read the advice of pro ranked in the top ten by PocketFives. Instead, take the time to read all the posts. Try to understand what level they are thinking on. If you want, you can even look their stats up and see if you are stereotypically correct. But at the same time know, that even though their results are really good or really bad in terms to your original conclusion, sometimes it is your job to decipher the message and decide what arrow to throw into the ole’ quiver of poker wisdom.