Poker Pro Daniel Negreanu Offers Debate Strategy to Candidates Trump and Clinton

• Trump could be at big disadvantage in a heads-up debate against Clinton, , “your weaknesses get magnified” when going one-on-one
• Trump seems incapable of folding the political equivalent of bad cards, Negreanu suggests
• The key is, she has to hit him where it hurts so he gets off-track and reckless but Clinton also cannot afford to wait for this to happen
• It’s good strategy to counter your opponent’s playing style. So if someone is folding reasonably strong hands, it’s best to play weaker hands

The biggest money earner in poker, Daniel Negreanu, has offered some debate strategy taken straight from his favorite game.  

Heads-Up Strategy:

From Wired:

In heads-up play, “your weaknesses get magnified.” When there are only two players, you can’t avoid those ante bets, which makes it expensive to fold pretty-good cards. That means you may have to play hands you’re less sure of, a much more difficult prospect. As Negreanu puts it, “in heads-up, you have to have a grasp of the technical aspect of poker”—the underlying math that determines which hands to play.  That could pose a challenge to Trump, who so far has only debated on a crowded stage.

Negreanu urges both candidates to “get aggressive”.

Negreanu says that most players try to set traps for their opponents. If they know they are playing against an aggressive player, for instance, they will pretend to have weaker hands than they actually hold, counting on their opponent to bet heavily. That seems an obvious strategy to use against Trump, who seems incapable of folding the political equivalent of bad cards. When the parents of a fallen soldier spoke out against him at the Democratic National Convention, he attacked them instead of changing the subject.

Of Clinton taking on Trump, Negreanu says, “The key is, she has to hit him where it hurts so he gets off-track and reckless,” Negreanu says. “Then she can just sit back and say, ‘See?'”

But Negreanu says Clinton can’t wait forever for that moment to occur. And this is where poker psychology comes in. In cards, it’s helpful to know what your opponent thinks of you, and then to subvert those expectations. For instance, if someone has a reputation for playing aggressively, it might behoove them to only play strong hands, because their opponent is more likely to assume they’re bluffing. Clinton may expect Trump to be aggressive, but Trump’s team is surely aware of that expectation. “It would be smart for his campaign to throw a curve ball to keep her off balance,” Negreanu says. “If he shows up presidential and relaxed and she’s unable to shake him, he wins.” (Then again, he presumably knows that she might be anticipating this counter-programming, in which case he may try to catch her unawares by debating exactly as anyone might expect him to.)

Generally speaking, it’s good strategy to counter your opponent’s playing style. So if someone is folding reasonably strong hands, it’s best to play weaker hands.

Here are your US 1^st Presidential Debate Odds Offered by BetOnline:

-  Nagesh Rath, Gambling911.com