Leveling
Thinking about what your opponent thinks you have, and what they think you think they have. This is multi-level, recursive thinking used to outguess an opponent.
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What Is Leveling?
Level 0 is simply thinking about your own cards, level 1 considers what the opponent might hold, level 2 considers what the opponent thinks you hold, and so on. Skilled players adjust their level of thinking based on their opponent's sophistication rather than always trying to think as many levels deep as possible. Over-leveling against an unsophisticated opponent often leads to costly, unnecessary hero calls or bluffs.
Examples
He made a level-3 hero call, reasoning that his opponent knew he would fold to the river bet and was bluffing because of it.
Against a straightforward recreational player, over-leveling just leads to spewing chips on unnecessary bluffs.
Strategy Tips
Match your leveling depth to your opponent's skill; against weaker players, simple level-1 thinking about their actual hand range is usually most profitable. Avoid the trap of assuming every opponent is thinking several levels deep when many are simply playing their own cards. Use timing tells, bet sizing, and history to gauge how many levels an opponent typically operates on. Balanced GTO-based play reduces vulnerability to being out-leveled by strong opponents.