Are You Paying Attention When You’re Not in the Hand?

Yes — I think it’s very important to pay attention even when not in the hand.

You can learn a lot about opponents’ betting patterns, bluff frequency, and timing tells.
It also helps identify who is playing tight, loose, aggressive, or passive.
Many good reads come from simply observing hands you’re not involved in.

Poker is not just about the cards you play — it’s also about gathering information constantly.

I like to pay attention to the game to see how others are playing, what ranges they call with or raise with, if they bluffer not, if they're a calling station or not, what bet sizing they use. I find that information very useful because sooner or later you will play a hand against them and you'll have that extra information to assess future situations.