16 replies to this topic

[JaysonWeber]

Allright everyone, this is JaysonWeber and I've got a lost of questions that I think will cause some stimulating responses. I am also very interested in other peoples opinions, so feel free to pipe in Allright, This question deals with table image: What table image do you feel you try to "project" at the table, and the second part of this question is what type of player do you fear the most sitting down at the table with you.I am not going to give my opinion yet, but I certainly will soon, I hope this causes for some interesting discussions.

[t-bone]

The table image I want to portrait always depends on the situation. Whether I'm in a tournament, cash game, home game, it also dpends on what the other people are like.Normally, though, I like people to think I'm a very loose aggressive player. I like to tkae a lot of flops, and raise a lot preflop, which sometimes gives me the image of being a "bad" player. When I end up having to show down a crappy hand, I can change gears and get my monsters called down to the river with mediocre hands.First of all, let me say that I'd rather play with, pleasant, friendly people than grumpy bitchy people. I'm a relatively open, friendly, talkative guy and I prefer playing with people who are also friendly.Personality aside, I hate playing with aggressive players who know when to fold. I don't like not being able to narrow someone's hole cards down to more than a couple of possibilities. When you know someone is just as capable of throwing in a 5xBB raise with 47 offsuit as they are with AA, that makes them really hard to beat.At the same time though, I would rather play against better players than bad players because I can learn from the good ones. I've only been playing for a little under 2 years so I have lots to learn still.

[tekn0wledg]

Ooooh.... good question :)In terms of what I try to portray at the table, I try to give off something different each time I sit down depending on the competition.If I find myself with all older people for example, I try to act like a crazy young guy. This works wonders for getting calls down the line. On the other hand if I find myself at a table with younger players, I try to seem more solid and rock-like. Why? Because I can now snap off a few bluffs when necessary since they think I'm colder than Janet Reno in a Montana blizzard.But if you are talking about overall table image across the board, I try to be as honest to myself as I can. Primarily I show how happy I am to be playing poker and am always respectful of other players at the table. You'll never see me throw down an ace-high flush to someone's king-high and say "eat it bitch!" So I just try to let people see the human side of me even through the game of poker itself.As far as what I hate when I come to the table, it's two types that mainly concern me:1) The quiet emotionless type2) The ego-larger-than-life Mr. Macho guyWith the quiet guy, I always seem to read them correctly but second guess myself when needing to make a big decision [such as all-in calls in tournaments and such]. I don't know why but I think the back of my mind says "hey this guy plays solid, don't mess with him" even though my first instinct is that he's bluffing. This is where I get into trouble because I believe you should always follow your gut except in certain circumstances [on the bubble or the difference of a couple hundred thou in a tournament etc]With Mr. Ego, I just hate the attitude at the table. They throw chips into the pot at astronomical rates, and in addition to that they tell you about their hand every damn time around the table. "Hey buddy, next time only put your chips in if you have a hand" or "Man it must suck to lose so many hands to me" and all that other crap. Yes I know it's a psychological tactic in the game, but with this particular breed of player I am referring to we are talking about someone who is just an idiot and a prick to boot. They act like this throughout life, not just poker. So in other words we are not talking Matusow tactics, we are talking about this guy just being a complete jackass. I hate them because I want so badly to bust them and I have to be patient.I also think that's it hard to read them too. The other day I was at the table with one of these guys and I had AK and I put the guy on AQ because he raised pre-flop like he always did with an ace or king. I ultimately had to fold the hand on the turn because he put me all-in with nothing on the board. I had nothing nor did he, but I didn't know that for certain because of the distractions I had from his personality and playing style. He showed his AQ after I folded. Bah. Then later I finally got him but it was a tough decision on my part. He was betting and raising all the way to the flop and I had A8s from late position. I hit the 8 on the flop and then two fives fell. I figured him for overcards, and I was right, fortunately, as he moved all-in on me again. Phew.But this just shows how much I let his personality get to me.... I hate the attitude and I am weary and easily moved off my hand when facing these guys OR I overplay my hand and really screw myself. Fortunately I am learning to play against these types of players and don't seem to lose as much to them these days.Interesting thread, thanks Jayson!

[JustinHEMI04]

I like to portray a laid back image. Someone who is as humble in winning a pot as he is at losing. I never get upset at a loss and I never cheer a win. I like table talk too. I hate quiet tables. I Just like to shoot the breeze about whatever. Along with this, I like to be seen as agressive. If I am not folding I am raising. I don't like free flops. People I hate to play with are like someone already said, those gift to poker type people. Or people that get upset at a loss. Had a guy throw his cards right at me the other night because I called his all in bluff with the best hand. (Go figure). I hate people like that. I never make the naive mistake of thinking I am the best at the table. Too many other people do, however.Justin

[Kendren]

To a certain extent, I almost like to project the image of an empty chair. I don't even want ppl to know I'm there until my chips come flying out. That way, nobody can get too good a read on me... at least that's the theory :)As for ppl I don't like sitting down, those hyper-aggressive players that make huge overbets into any size pot. 80 chips, bet 500. 200, bet 10k. They know nobody will call all their chips without the nuts, until they get tired and try it with just draws, and he gets his censored chips. Thankfully late in tournaments those types of ppl aren't around very long as they'll get called and busted.

[Smasharoo]

Allright, This question deals with table image: What table image do you feel you try to "project" at the table, and the second part of this question is what type of player do you fear the most sitting down at the table with you. Totally game dependent. Playing live LL holdem I want a frindly touristy table image. I want people to enjoy hanging around with me and view the poker game as secondary to having a good time.Playing mid limit holdem I try to establish an image as a novice. Any time I can play with people underestimating me it makes me happy. I don't want anyone to fear playing with me, in fact I'd rather they want to mix it up with me. I'm allways trying to use psychology to make it seem that I play much looser than I actually do and that I'm less intrested in winning money than I am in the mystique of playing poker.The only time I'd want a tight/agressive table image that instilled fear in people is in a NL tournament where I'm going to build most of my stack through agression rather than cards.I find the people I play against who strive for a tight agressive table image tend to be the easiest to run over in reality. The people I'm allways wary of are the "confused young woman" who's stack keeps growin and grown whle she giggles about how lucky she was.

[Buckeye Bandit]

I've played in and finished in top positions in quite a few tournaments by being the "friendly-yet-mysterious" guy at the table. I don't talk a lot because it distracts me from my game plan. This may not apply to most people who have the "gift of gab", but it works well for me. I openly congratulate the winning hand, and I humbly rake in chips when I win myself. I NEVER show my cards. I probably play the bluff roughly 40% of the time, most typically with 2 or 3 players in the hand. This works especially well when there is A-5-5 on the flop. I won't hesitate to be aggressive with this flop. Sometimes I get called out on it, but the rewards outweigh the penalty most of the time.

[wrto4556]

I try to portray the image of a "live" player...and try always to look live...If I show down 7-high after a bunch of raises I tighten up, but if I start to fold too much, all my work is abandoned and I have to be "live" again and raise a J7o and play it to the river.I fear playing with anyone that knows more than me. Sure, I learn, and that's always good...but it costs money to learn; i'de rather read a book.I love to play with fish. I can sit back and just think (which I love to do) and play straight forward poker...bet, raise, fold fold fold fold, bet, raise....I'm drooling all over the keyboard. bye byeeeee

[Suited_Up]

Well... this IS a good question. I had to sit back and think for a minute first... Cause I don't sit down with a plan really, but I think I do have a table image, and I had to think of what it was. I think for the most part, I sit down and once I get settled, I just try to blend in with the crowd, throw out a few funny comments here and there, and just try to have a good time, and try to let everyone else have a good time. I play tight, but I do it quietly, so people aren't really paying much attention to it. (I play low limit games somewhere between 1 to 3 and 3/6.) Basically, I just sit back and wait for my spots, and people don't seem to even bother to try and categorize me... I try to have a good time and just kind of pounce when I get a hand... yet nobody really expects it... It always just seems like I got decent cards this time, and got a little lucky. As for the players I hate sitting down with... I have to agree with the woman is just there gambling and seems to win with pure luck. Please read my blog for a good example of this gambling to poker conversion. Also, the middle aged guys who are probably alcoholics... not neccisarily drunk at the time, but probably were recently. They sit down with their mustache and bad flannel and raise with nothing on a whim, cause they might be able to bluff this one. Then they'll call on 5th street with K high just cause it might still win. Sure it sounds great... but some of these players throw off the whole table and makes everyone play bad... and you want 1 or 2 real bad players to get money from... but a whole table and you're in trouble.

[theresa113]

I like to play the daffy loveable dumb blonde. OK, it is not too far of a stretch but I like to play this role because it is funny how often people let their guard down. I also find it harder for people to read me. It's funny, but when I play this role I hear people say "I bet she has a high pair" when in fact, I had something much stronger. This persona seems to scare the male players and some of the female players as well. So the ones I have to watch out for usually inder estimate me and those who I am on the same playing feild get confused when I act so flighty.OK, for those players I absolutely hate to play against, it is anyone who has too much to drink! They take too long to count their chips. They never know when it is their turn. They bet ridiculous amounts of chips and the worst part is, they get lucky so they stay at the table FOREVER! They are so hard to read because at one moment they have a 2 7 offsuit and the next hand they could be holding a pair of aces and because of the alcohol they are betting crazy preflop on both hands! You have absolutely no clue! They forget what they even have in their hand then they turn it up and they won! :bubblearg: Anyway, there is this guy when he is sober I can play against him with no problem but within an hour or two he is usually hammered and then forget it. Nice guy but frustrating to deal with. I perfer people who are a little loose but still have some sense of what is going on.

[jogsxyz]

Table image. I make no effort to project or cultivate any table image. In the low limits online(only play on computer) 80%+ of the players aren't paying attention. Recently I crashed on a 2 table SnG. Took forever to return to the game. Found myself in 3rd place when I finally returned to the table. Bet you some players didn't know I crashed.Don't like to play against unpredictable players. Tight/aggressive players are very predictable. Hansen/Flack type players are scary. Never know what they have. They force me to gamble. And who wants to gamble.

[Mandelbrot]

Sometimes I want to be unnoticed, sometimes I want to be underestimated, sometimes I want to be erratic and unpredictable, sometimes loose-aggressive, sometimes desperate, sometimes powerful and scary. .. it just depends on the weaknesses of my opponents, the rythym of the table, and the status of the game.

[JaysonWeber]

Well seeing that I was the one that asked the question I guess I should give my opinion on the matter as well huh!Here it goes... My table image, well first of all, like a few said (I know teknowledge mentioned it). I asses the table, most of the tables I am at seem to have younger guys though, as I am younger as well, So I just sit down and start chatting with the players I don't know. You can get a lot from just the way they TALK, the quite types, almost always tight and play "scared". The louder more assertive people on the other hand, will ussually play a bit more aggresive. I like the action to be around ME. I change my gears a lot, I don't know what it is but differenty people at the same table have different thoughts on how I play. An example is the table I left about 3 hours ago, I've played with everyone there for about 2 years, one of the guys said I was one of the tightest players at the table, and the guy to my right laughed and said I was one of the most aggresive. Wierd huh? I guess I ussually project a knowledgable player, neither tight nor loose. I love playing against the "by the book" players, raise 3x BB with a pair or high cards, dont raise out of position etc... I know how they're playing, I've read there playbooks! Those guys are my favorite, if I could have me and 7 of them at the table I'd crush it within a few hours.The players I hate, are the good ones The ones that see me for what I'm doing, changing gears, not playing by the book, using position and knowledge that others are only raising premium etc. There are two of these players at my regular game, one is very good at it. He seems to either win big or lose big though, not much of a medium, he can steam pretty badly if he loses a few pots, thats when I can get at him, and he will pay off my hands at times. So to answer the question, my favorite player is one who regardless of how he talks, plays by the book, I especially love players who will tell you what they were thinking, It's ridiculous how many people need to "prove" there worth at the table when there chips and dwindling.... And least favorite is as I stated above, someone who wants to run the table just like I do, I've noticed a lot of times me and that other player will actually get along very well, knowing what we do. Infact tonight he was sitting directly to my right and we were showing each other cards all night, not the smartest thing to do really, but hey, we were having some fun!

[Mandelbrot]

Quote

I love playing against the "by the book" players

What strategy do you find most effective against these types?

[The Insider]

When I have the time, I look forward to reading each of these replies thoroughly. As of now, I read a few (at work)... Briefly, I have found that if I vary my game well enough and make some respectable plays, players will tend to play their cards against me rather than diving into an enigmatic pool of trickery. When I get that read on how I am subsequently 'being played', I find that I can truly take advantage of that, and have a higher rate of correct decisions. So, to answer your question, I do whatever I can table-image wise, to have people play their cards rather than trickery...

[JFarrell20]

The table image I project is I guess mysterious. I come off as mysterious in real life so I think it helps at the table. I almost want the table to not even know I'm there, I sit back quietly, and try to not show much emotion. The players I hate are the ones who want to raise pre-flop with anything!This just tells me that they cannot outplay you post-flop, which is a good thing b/c I think my post-flop play is the best part of my game. However, it is still a pain to have to call all these pre-flop raises with garbage.

[rapperwilly]

Yeah this topic is dope, I always think about this when I play pokes. I think what I try and portray myself to be is passive and aggressive, I like to talk a lot of smack and get into people's heads. However when I'm in the hand I try and stay quiet, keep my reads to myself, and show as little emotion as possible. The players I hate most have to be players who play like me, because I have developed my style to play against people who usually like to "follow the book." I like to play unorthodox and find it terribly hard to play against calling stations who always seem weak, mostly these players are also new to the game, so it is impossible to read them.