Table
image is an exceptionally
important element that many
players experienced or new
many times forget to take
into consideration. The table
image you project effects
how other players will perceive
you and in turn, how they
will look to deal with you.
Every player, whether they
have thought about it consciously
or not, has treated the aggressive
player drastically different
than the player that plays
close to the vest and conservative.
This is exactly the kind of
thing that controlling your
table image can help you as
a player manage. It is certainly
another psychological element
of poker that good players
need to address.
Most players have a preferred
play style and that is fine
but playing it in different
manners can help to make
the games more fun and help
to show you how the effects
will strategically alter
the perceptions other poker
players have of you. Table
images range from everything
to that exceptionally bad
player that plays every
hand and drops out after
the flop to those players
that play with precision
and are feared by opponents.
There is a lot in-between
those two extremes but the
truth of the matter is that
different persona’s may
be more effective at different tables. Playing more aggressively at a conservative
table is generally a good idea and at some point will force other players to
play looser if they are constantly finding themselves calling against you, and
when controlled properly this can mean dollar signs for you! Playing more conservatively
against that precision player may also be the wiser choice and may help you
entrap him on a few hands that he might not suspect.
Things that help to characterize
you with other players is
your appearance if it’s not online. Other things, perhaps more controllable, are things like
when you bet how much do you typically bet? What cards do you win with? How
often do you play a hand? All these things help to create the image in the mind
of your opponents known as table image.
For example - those players
that may only play one hand
out of every ten dealt will
be treated with concern when
he plays and this is bad because
it means other players will
fold out to you. They will
quickly recognize that you
are waiting for monster hands
and not trust to play against
you when you do in fact play.
In most situations staying
with this table image severely
limits you; however it can
also be a good image to portray
in some situations.
What all players need to be
aware of is themselves because
then they can stay focused
and under control when dealing
with others. Staying on top
of your own image and your
own psychology will give you
the edge to direct it to control
others and help your calls
and the manner in which others
perceive you. |
