In the epic film “The Godfather,” Michael Corleone knew a little something about isolation. In one of the final scenes, the heir to his father’s criminal empire eliminates his rivals in an effort to consolidate power and control New York’s underworld.

If you’re a poker player, there’s a lesson in young Michael Corleone’s actions. Obviously, the example is over the top and a bit dramatic. Nevertheless, in any business, if you have little or no competition, the odds of being successful go way up. It’s the same at the poker table concerning the theory of isolation. The odds during each hand change dramatically relative to the number of opponents. And it’s your job to improve those odds when you decide to play a hand by practicing isolation and eliminating as many opponents as possible. Figuratively speaking, of course.

If you’re playing a game like Texas Hold ’Em, your first thought after deciding you have a playable hand should be: “how do I thin the field.” This is the point in the hand that demands isolation. You don’t want players with mediocre hands hanging around until the turn or river just so they can get lucky enough to hit their drawing card. You want them out of the way early, increasing your odds and taking away those fluke wins that frustrate every poker player.

If you don’t think isolation is important, take a look at these numbers: If you are dealt an ace, the chance of an opponent having an ace in a five-handed game is 42 percent. But in a 10-handed game, it’s 75 percent. That will immediately take the shine off your nice card. The numbers don’t lie. If you have pocket queens in a four-player hand, you have a 58 percent chance of winning when all players stay in the hand to the river. If there are 10 players, the odds drop to 26 percent. These numbers help demonstrate why limping into pots and not betting aggressively in order to chase opponents can have disastrous consequences.

If the flop falls in your favor and you end up with top pair, it’s time to pare down the opponents. Let’s say you start with K-10 and the flop comes K-8-2. You bet before the flop and now you must definitely bet post-flop. If you show weakness by just calling, you’re asking for more players than you want to stick around for the turn and the river. Of course, many players will try to chase a draw, but with a strong top pair you must stay aggressive and make it an expensive proposition for those players to hang around. This will make opponents think twice on whether they want to risk so much chasing a straight or flush.

An opponent’s style is also a factor worth weighing when deciding on whom to isolate and when. A loose player is someone who will stick around with moderate hands, making them an attractive target to go after heads-up when you’re holding a high pair. Isolating inexperienced players is a no-brainer. Since bad players don’t understand isolation, raising will put them on the defensive, forcing most to fold.

Remember, isolation is the engine and the raise is the gas it runs on. Know your opponents and their limitations, and practice an aggressive style of isolation each hand to decrease your opponents and increase your odds.