The term leveling in poker refers to mind games between the players as they try to figure out each other’s hands and outplay one another.
The term was coined because this process includes multiple levels. The first level is the one where you only consider the cards you hold and not much else. The second level is where you start thinking about your opponent’s range as well.
Then, there is the third level, where you are thinking about what your opponent might be thinking about your hand.
At the highest of stakes and nosebleeds among the best of players, almost everybody is on the third level and above, which is why you’ll often see some strange plays that can’t be explained unless you think about hands in this way.
