Sun Tzu and the Art of Poker

Sun Tzu ("Master Sun") is the author of The Art of War, a highly influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy.
We thought it would be fun to compare some of the famous quotes Sun Tzu to poker. Treat your poker tournaments as a war!

We will be updating and adding more articles that compare Sun Tzu war tactics to poker tactics. Current Sun Tzu articles:

Sun Tzu Theory on chip stacks
Sun Tzu Combat Strategies applied to poker
Sun Tzu Defeating our Opponents
Sun Tzu War Faults at the Poker Table

Here are some Sun Tzu war quotes applied to poker:

 

The worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities

Aside from the quality of each players cards, there are two key factors that must be considered when determining which opponents you are going to play against. These are; the other player’s skill level and the relative size of their chip stack.
If you are faced with an opponent whose chip stack poses a threat, you should only attack that player when you have gained an advantage over them. It is unwise to take unnecessary risks and attempt large bluffs against players who have enough chips to knock you out of a tournament.
Although it is optimal to attempt your bluffs against players who don't have a lot of chips, it is also important to avoid bluffing players who are desperate and unlikely to fold mediocre cards. The best opponents to attack are those who have a chip disadvantage that is decisive, but not overly pronounced. You can read more about chip ratios by clicking on this link: Sun Tzu on Chip Stacks

 

We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country

In the age of online poker, it almost seems foolish for a player to sit in a cash game without observing the table first. With a few minutes of observation, it can be easy to gain an advantage over your opponents. If you are aware of the tables ebb and flow, you can tailor your playing style so it is suitable for the game you are about to sit in.
It is important to know which players are playing passively or aggressively. You should also take note of which players are winning and losing, especially if someone is starting to play poorly. Some players may have tendencies that can be easily exploited or used to gain information about the cards that they are holding. All of this is information that your opponents will have to gain about you, so for a period of time you will be a step ahead of everyone.

he skillful leader subdues the enemies troops without fighting; he captures their cities without laying siege to them.

With regards to bluffing, this quote has applications within a poker tournament as a whole, as well as within individual hands.
A player who is known for not being a bluffer will have a high success rate when trying and represent a hand that they don't actually have. Because that player has taken the time to establish them self to be a tight player, they can now exploit that image.
As a player, if you are constantly putting pressure on your opponents, they will begin to show resistance and they will become harder to bluff against.
When faced with a raise, your opponents will start to lend more weight to the possibility that you might be bluffing. Most players are capable of showing aggression early in a hand while holding mediocre cards, so there is often a sense of reluctance to fold to an immediate raise.
A more convincing method of bluffing your opponent is referred to as floating. To float means to call a bet with the sole intention of stealing the pot during the later betting rounds. Because this is a much less aggressive show of strength, it is often interpreted as genuine. This course of action also allows you to give off the appearance of a being a player that is trying to disguise a strong hand.
Another scenario where this method can increase your probability of success considers an opponent who has a strong drawing hand. In most cases, this opponent will not fold to a raise on the flop. Once they call your raise, the pot will be such that any significant bet on the turn will have to be very large in order for it win the pot. In many cases, you will need to bluff 3 times in order to be successful against an opponent who is drawing. There are very few players who have the confidence to do this in a tournament setting.
When your opponent is drawing, there will be a much better opportunity to steal the pot if you decide to float your opponents bet on the flop. The pot will be smaller and the other players investment will be less. This will make the subsequent bluff attempts much cheaper in addition to possibly adding to their success rate.