Phil Galfond's Poker Advice: How to Play Against Tough Opponents

Poker pro Phil Galfond wrote a monthly poker advice column for Bluff Europe from 2007 to 2008. In his advice, he explains how to behave when encountering tough opponents while climbing the limits.

Galfond advises players to think more broadly when facing tougher opponents. He suggests using non-standard bets to provoke opponents into making mistakes. For example, instead of making a standard bet, a player could make a smaller or larger bet to catch the opponent off guard.

Galfond shares an example where he used a non-standard bet to provoke an opponent into making a mistake. He recounts a situation where he made a non-standard bet on the river, forcing his opponent to think and ultimately make a mistake. He also recommends understanding the reasons behind every action in poker, and not to make strange bets without a purpose.