Poker strategy: Make a good first impression
One of my friends told me about his strategy to compete in a tournament one day at Orleans Casino (Las Vegas): I’m going to play really tight during the early stages, so I could start to bluff other antes when players begin. This is a good plan, except on one point: your opponent is not paying attention.
On a $ 10,000 tournament, you will frequently play poker against the same players for hours, also develop a table image can be an important part of your strategy. In general, this applies to tournaments with a buy-in of at least $ 500 blind levels of 60 minutes. But the limits to which most of us play, the table image is simply over-rated. Build a specific table image takes time. More importantly, find themselves in a situation where we can exploit this image takes more time. Even if your opponents are paying attention, you will not play against them for long enough that it has significance. When you play with blind levels of 20 or 30 minutes and smaller pads, you choose your situations depending on the cards you are dealt before thinking the second or third degree.
Moreover, most of your opponents have low vision. Why worry about your cards they when they have to do with theirs? In general, they play their cards without worrying about what you may have. While they are standing on their head if you do all in the first hand, they probably will notice that you’ve thrown all your hands in the first orbit.
Often our attempts to use the table to our advantage can turn against us, including in tournaments with high buy-in. “Everyone at the table knew I was tight, but I do not know why this player did not know” a friend told me after a player had made a rather broad face call to his all- in. Even if he played extremely tight due to a lack of interesting maps and a carpet that was reduced, the other player was obsessed by something else. “I also had to remember a comment he made earlier in the day, saying he did not believe me when I had a check-raise against another player. I also heard I sent someone all-in without looking at my cards in a previous session. You can imagine all the shots you want, but it is far more important to understand how you are perceived by your opponents.
I do not pretend that you must abandon the concept of table image. I would rather focus on something with greater immediate value. What best sums up this idea are the old cliché: “You only get one chance to make a good first impression.” Look at the poker table like any other place to socialize, be it a bar, restaurant or even the queue for your groceries. Even if you do not want to admit, it spends its time judging others. We felt that their physical appearance or that we judge their personality, it assesses people in many ways (even if only subconsciously).
These first impressions are not negligible and remain in us until the individual in question should be something to challenge them. If you’re a tight player who looks after good starting hands, it helps to fool your opponents early in the tournament. Draw attention to the fact that you raise the first hand. “I’m just here for fun.” Add some style to how to rise, as threw the chips in the air. If nobody pays or you win the pot with a continuation bet, show off your Queen-Four off suit. You can then spend all your hands on the following two orbits, you’ll have the action when you receive a good hand left after that first impression. Remember that first impression will be remembered until you’ve done something to change it.
In most situations, your table image comes down to that first impression. Do not worry about questions of meta-game unless you know you’ll play against the same opponents for hours. And even then, know that the first impression you make will define your table image more than any other factor.
You might also like
 |
 |
 |
 |
