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One of the most misapplied, and misunderstood, concepts in poker is table image and when to ‘advertise’. Advertising is when you do something out of the ordinary in an effort to portray a different style of play than you actually employ.
What most poker players fail to realize is that your opponents often have a very different impression of your play, without any deception on your part! In fact, the only players that will have a good idea of how you actually play are people who compete against you quite often.
Your goal in poker, as far as table image goes, is to project an image as far away from the one you are actually employing: So if you are a tight/aggressive player you would want to do everything in your power to project a loose/passive image –which is easier said than done.
The problem is too many poker players think they have to make a bold/daring play to “mix up their play”, and have no solid reasoning on why they are doing it! Truth be told, the only time you should ever “mix up your play” is when your opponents are totally zoned in on your actual style of play –when your image mirrors your style.
You need to be very cognizant of not only what you are doing –how you are actually playing-- but what your opponents’ see you doing –your image. For example, if two new players sit down in your poker game, and you proceed to raise three hands in a row, it’s likely they will see you as a loose/agro regardless of the next 20 or 30 hands. But too many players will simply wonder why these players are not respecting their raises; after all I’m playing tight!
You need to realize that it’s possible for every player in the game to have a different opinion on your poker skills as well as your style of play. So, when you decide to advertise it should be because your table image closely resembles your actual style of play.
For instance, suppose you sit down in a game of No Limit Texas Hold’ Em and proceed to fold your first 20 hands: You finally pick up a pair of Kings, but everyone folds to your raise: 30 more folds and you find yourself in the same situation, receiving no action with pocket Aces.
It’s at this point you need to do some advertising, for two reasons:
1. To make sure when you do have a hand you get action
Obviously if you only play the goods and you’re running cold you will get little action when you do pick-up a hand, since you look like a nit. So, by mixing in a few random raises –and hopefully having to show-down some cheesy hand—your opponents won’t respect your raises quite as much.
2. To use your current image to your advantage
In addition to getting action when you do have a hand, you also want to use your tight image to pick up a few blinds here and there. It will take a few raises for your opponents to notice your style of play has changed, so in the interim you can take down a few pots while at the same time you change your table image.
Once you have changed your opponents’ perceptions you need to remember to switch back to a tight/aggressive style: If your opponents think you have loosened up you don’t want to continue to play loose in an effort to appear loose!
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