Poker News

Table Image

After you have studied the great books available on poker strategy, I believe the best tool you can utilize is a winning table image. The beauty of it is that since people are so varied, there are many images that will work well at a poker table. Let’s look at our options.

1. Rock

2. Loose Cannon

3. Lucky

4. Unlucky

5. Scared

6. Tricky

7. Actor

8. Fish

9. Calling Station

10 Solid

Obviously, there are many of these that you don’t wish to develop as yours, but believe it or not, you can make a winner out of any of them. Take Fish, for example. If people perceive you as such, they will bet into you believing you don’t know what you’re doing. Suppose you do know, and are pretending to be the naive player. When you do have the nuts, they will bet you strong, and you will nail them.

On the positive side, we have Rock, Lucky, Tricky and Solid. These are the most powerful images to have. The Rock is presumed to always have the nuts when he bets. That makes it easier for that type to bluff a pot. generally, that player won’t win many big pots, but he will win many small pots. Usually, this guy isn’t very sociable and may even be cranky. I’ve never liked that image, but I have seen many successful ones. They are the most patient players of all.

The Lucky playeris said to be a gambler that just seems to make more than his fair share of hands. He will get many more callers because people know he stays in on draws, and he will win many pots by getting weak calls. That’s because people never put him on a hand unless they see it. I capitalize on that image when I know I’m on a rush. Among the things I do is play the very next hand after winning a pot.

I win that one very often, either by making a hand, or by bluffing and using my established image. The Solid player is one who doesn’t play weak hands out of position, doesn’t call with A/J when there is a bet and a raise in front of him, and rarely goes out on a limb. He’s the guy that won’t call the other half of the bet in the small blind unless he has something going. He will bluff, but it will be when he’s sure he has the edge, such as position.

But the position isn’t necessarily last to act. He will use his image and bet the flop, in first position, if a pair hits the board. Most of us will believe he has the set. he is usually a smooth, cool kind of player. I’m using male terms, but all these players could be women as well.

Everyone that knows me, knows that I am very devious. I will check-raise at every opportunity. I won’t do it on the flop, though, because to me that is about the dumbest bet in Hold’Em. I am Tricky in every sense of the word.

The reason I generally do things is simply to build a bigger pot. If I am holding pocket aces and the ace hits the flop, I will check the flop, the turn or the river, because I know if I bet they will all fold. I want to squeeze out some bets out of somebody! There I times that I get run down by slow playing a hand, but I more than make up for it in any given session by winning larger pots.

On the other side of the coin, because I am hard to read, it slows down the play and I get free cards when I’m on a draw or a small pair. That generates a positive cash flow to me because I get a chance to outdraw the other players at a good price. I may do this more in limit than no-limit poker, because if they come over the top on my check-raise, then I have to decide if they are on hand or not. I prefer this image above all others, because it combines the elements of the Solid and the Lucky player as well. If they don’t respect you, by golly they’ll fear you! Either one makes you money.

You have seen millionaire tournament players that are Loose Cannons. You have never seen any that were Scared, Fish, Unlucky or Actors. But you have seen those players in your own games. The Actor is the only one that needs explaining. He’s the guy that has been watching too much TV and thinks on his hand for five minutes before calling $5.00! He thinks, somehow, that his delay tactics are scaring you or increasing his chances of winning. I would rather be the Fish or the Scared guy because he, at least will get some sympathy! You can make most images work. It just takes understanding what you want your image to be and developing it on a daily basis. If you jump from one to another too often, you will confuse yourself as well as the other players. Above all, I believe that it is detrimental to make people hate you for your image, so remain cordial, not smug, and pleasant not pushy. Work on it.

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