Using your image

Your table images is how you believe others perceive you at the table and how you perceive them. Understand your table image and you can exploit others to win massive pots, ignore it and you will be the one being fleeced.

From the second you sit at the table, people are forming opinions about you, opinions which you can use against them to win money. First of all, be honest and try and assess how others view you, not how you view yourself. Think about the hands you have played so far and your interactions with others. Have you played a lot of hands or done a lot of talking? If so, there is a good chance you will be viewed as loose. Likewise, if you have just won a massive pot with a normally bad hand, don’t be surprised if people think you are crazy.

Likewise, if you have been quiet, both in the number of hands you have played and also how you are acting, you will probably garner a solid reputation. At a deeper level, you may also give off such an image if you dress quite conservatively or conversely, if you are dressed flamboyantly it might get you a loose image. Poker players are constantly looking for information to categorise you, so don’t be surprised if some very subtle clues are picked up on.

So how do we use that image? Well the conventional wisdom is to do the opposite of what your image suggests you would do. If you are viewed as tight, they will not see you coming if you start raising every pot and you can get away with daylight robbery. If you are viewed as loose, now is a great time to tighten up and wait to get called down very light when you have a big hand.

Be prepared to change your approach often, because one crazy hand can change how people view you, the key is to stay one step ahead of your opponents, which is what we call ‘changing gears’. Finally do not forget that if you have played the same opponent before, their image of you will go back several games, rather than just the last few hands, so keep that in mind before you make any big moves.

Poker School

Poker Articles