subject: Table Image and Profits Playing Hold'em [print this page] Table Image and Profits Playing Hold'em Table Image and Profits Playing Hold'em
Putting in your time is an important factor in earning profits playing hold'em, or any other poker game, but it is not the only factor working in your favor. Along with time spent, the image you present at the table goes a long way to increasing your profits. You'll never play winning poker without first having a very good technical grasp of the game. You must be able to recognize situations, when to fold, call, raise, shove. Being able to gain information from betting and physical tells. But still it is not enough. Poker is a game played not with cards but with people. This simple truth places an emphasis on the psychological aspects of the game.
Once the basics of the game are well in hand you may begin to apply psychological play. Learning to play solid, disciplined poker, concentrating on playing your best game at all times and applying that learning so that you make a reasonable profit is actually the easy part of the game. Oh sure, there are always technicalities that can be added to your game so that you may apply tiny edges to your game, but it still isn't enough nor is it worth the time it takes to add one or two percent to your profits. To dramatically increase your profit playing hold'em you begin with your image.
Table Image
Your table image is how your opponents see you. Are you a loose canon or tighter than a rusty hinge? Are you friendly, talkative or silent and sullen? Are you calculated or instinctive? Your table image is something cultivated, it is purposeful and practiced and it is something you learn much like you learn the skill aspects of the game.
I cultivate an image that begins with being a nice guy. I want people to see me as someone they could become friends with. It seems that people seldom mind handing their chips over to a friend but they hate to be intimidated and bullied into surrendering chips. I also want to establish an image that appears intuitive rather than calculating, one that is far looser than I actually play. I also want my opponents to see me as a confident player. Finally, I want to project an image of unpredictability.
Friendly Play
For me, table image begins when I sit down. I am generally a private person but at the poker table I talk a lot. I smile, joke and gnash my teeth from time to time. I never fail to compliment a hand that beats me. I am always polite and never show anger although, from time to time, I will show calculated frustration. Being friendly makes it pleasant for your opponents to play with you and not gang up against you. Being friendly keeps the easy money at the table rather than driving it away.
There are players who have an image of being rude, ruthless, angry and generally obnoxious. You can see that behavior on YouTube because it is actually fun to poke fun at. But it is not an image I want to cultivate. Playing poker is like being your own little, one person casino. Poker profits come from your expected value edge exactly like the casino's edge. When is the last time you walked into a casino that made your experience unpleasant? I venture to say NEVER! The casino knows that everyone playing table games and slot machines is contributing to their overall profitability so they go out of their way to make your experience exciting and enjoyable so that you'll stay longer and will want to come back. I want to treat my customers the same way. I want them to like playing with me so that they'll stay longer and want to play again.
Intuitive Play
There are players who seem to take forever to make every decision. They appear to be calculating, considering every nuance and tiny edge before they act. Not every poker decision demands that kind of deliberation and not unlike the boy who cried wolf, it is best saved for moments of really difficult decisions. While I play a high percentage game, I want to appear intuitive so I cultivate an image that appears intuitive.
I consciously take about the same amount of time to make every decision. From the pre-flop action to the river when the action is on me I take about the same amount of time to act. When I must slow down to make a decision I will mumble to myself and gesture almost wildly and may even make a remark something like "Okay, I'll gamble with you" as I put chips into the pot. All of this is designed to convey an image of intuitive play. I may even sigh as I commit chips to the pot with what I believe is the best hand.
Confident Play
Playing with confidence is really nothing more than making the vast majority of your actions assertively. Bet crisply, call and raise with authority. Nothing goes further than the image of confidence to intimidate your opponents without alienating them. Leave them wondering what you know that they don't know and you simply leave them guessing. When accompanied with the other elements of image, friendly play and intuitive play, confidence goes a long way to improving your profits.
Unpredictable Play
Being unpredictable is at the heart of profitable poker and your table image. It is closely related to intuitive play but it has a different purpose. If your play exhibits a clear pattern, you raise, for example, every time you are on the button, pretty soon your opponents will figure this out and begin to play back at your raise with mediocre hands. Having a range of responses to common situations and applying this range in a truly random way goes a long way in being unpredictable.
There are a few ways to act randomly. Dan Harrington suggests that you use the sweep second hand on your watch to generate a random sequence. Say you have a range of three options, raise, call or fold and want to apply a specific action in a common situation and say you want the mix to be 50%-25%-25%, if, then your second hand is between 1 and 30 seconds you raise, between 31 and 45 seconds you call and between 46 and 60 seconds you fold, you have generated a random sequence of actions. Even if people know you are using your watch as a random number generator, they have no idea what your trigger point is and cannot determine a pattern. It makes you appear unpredictable.
There are other ways to generate randomness. If you are in an either-or situation you can use your watch again, only this time if the second hand points to an even number you choose one action and if it points to an odd number you choose the other. It is much like flipping a coin only it uses a different mode of creating a heads or tails choice. Game theorists have a good deal to say about randomness and ways to decide which of any action or actions to take. The point is that it is profitable to act randomly because it makes you unpredictable.
Final Thoughts
Establish your table image early and it will last beyond the life of the table. When the complexion of the table changes reestablish your image. Establishing and maintaining your table image is an ongoing battle of psychological warfare waged at the poker table. In the end, the battle is won by misdirection and actions that may even surprise yourself when you make them. But all of your actions must be consistent with your unpredictable image.
