Here’s a very interesting sponsored article on how to apply Poker strategy in Fantasy Football
How to Apply Poker Strategy in Fantasy Football
Those who participate in daily or weekly events, such as fantasy football or poker, know exactly how exciting the competition can be. For most fantasy football players, strategically arranging a line-up every night can be just as thrilling as the anticipation a poker player feels when waiting for the river card that could either make or break their hand. But regardless of any sport or game you play, it’s this element of unpredictability that continues to draw more and more people in each year.
While the line between making the best decision and the worst one can be blurry at most times, there are several ways fantasy football players can sharpen that line by applying more than football strategy to their line-up. Take poker, for example; a game that requires exceptional observation skills and a fast decision-making ability. The best players in the world are able to understand and predict how their opponents will react in certain situations, exploiting their weaknesses as well as defining their strengths as fast as possible. These same skills can be applied to fantasy football, among several others:
Multi-Tabling & Multiple Line-ups
Many will agree that one of the best ways to learn is through trial and error. And in the case of poker and fantasy football, there is plenty of room to practice both. As a fantasy football player, one of the most-liked aspects of participating in a fantasy football league is having the ability to create multiple line-ups and testing them out over several contests. However, creating each line-up can consume a lot of a player’s time, and not every line up will have a guaranteed win. But as mentioned before, practicing strategies can certainly help to give players a push in the right direction.
Unlike playing in a live casino, online poker gives players the option to play at multiple tables at once. While trying to manage more than one game may seem intimidating, it can help make you feel more confident in your ability to manage more than one task at a time, while also improving your decision-making ability. With time via trial and error, you will learn what strategies will work and what will not work.
Take the time to practice this concept in your fantasy football games. Rather than play the “what if” game and get stuck deciding on the last player to put in your line-up, save that line-up and use it in combination with other players that you would like to use in the line-up as well. The ability to craft 2, 5, or even 50 different line-ups will strongly depend on your creativity.
Opponent Observation & Other Players’ Line-ups
When it comes to constructing the best line-up for your next fantasy football matchup, the key will obviously be to build a stronger line-up than whom you are playing against. But just how do you do that? In addition to practicing with multiple line-ups that you’ve created on your own, it’s also a good idea to observe how your competition is playing as well. While this doesn’t imply that you should copy another player’s line-up, it can be an effective way in opening your mind up to new possibilities for your own line-up. Observe what kind of line-ups other players are using and consider why they may be using those specific players.
When playing any poker game – such as the popular Texas Hold’em – the strategy a player chooses to use is often defined by his or her opponents’ strategies. The same can be said about the rest of the players in your league. Once the line-ups are locked for the day, keep an eye out for those who tend to have the highest win ratios and use the time as a learning experience, making sure to study the patterns of what the best fantasy football players do and what you can do to improve your win rate as well. For example, say one player uses the same player three times in one week. Ask yourself why. Does the player look like he may be targeting certain defence players?
While there is no such thing as a foolproof way to win a fantasy football matchup, honing in on these observational skills can help to bring a big boost to your roster.
A Bad Plan Vs. No Plan At All
As Scott Adams once said, “If you know you’re going to succeed at 10% of the things you try, make sure you try 100 things,” a statement that can be applied to both a poker player’s and fantasy football player’s strategy. In terms of poker, you can always make the choice to fire shots in all directions in order to build your bankroll quickly in a big tournament. And in fantasy football, you can potentially increase your chances of winning by playing more than one line-up at a time. But in the end, it will be the players who are most prepared that will win.
“If you don’t prepare, you’re preparing to fail” — a common motto followed by many athletes and sports fans alike. Whether failing to prepare is due to limited time or sheer laziness, it will always reveal itself to your opponents. While winning a hand in Texas Hold’em or a head-to-head matchup with a top player in your fantasy football league will always present positive feelings, it’s important to not let it go to your head. Even when you do lose, always think of it as a learning experience rather than a failure. While losing may not be as exciting as winning, losing can give you direct insight as to how you can improve yourself.
Always have a plan in place rather than no plan at all. Keep in mind that you will have plenty of chances to win and create new line-ups, but also remember not to waste them. Improve your win rate little by little and consider how you can apply different game skills, such as poker, to your fantasy football line-up.
