Texas Holdem Image and Poker PersonalityHome > Texas Holdem 101 > Lesson One
Your texas holdem image is represented by your personality. Every poker player has a personality that can make or break them at a poker game. Your texas holdem image is a crucial part of playing texas holdem. Before I started writing this the section of identifying your holdem image and your opponents, I read an article that I’ve found really interesting that relates to this topic of table image. A book author and professional holdem player was playing texas holdem at the Mirage in Las Vegas. A player left his table and a man wearing shorts and a Hawaiian shirt filled the seat. The poker author explains, “I immediately pegged this guy for another tourist. After the tourist sat down, he was telling stories and joking with the dealer and some of the other players. He didn’t seem to have a care in the world as he sat there talking and playing.” Everyone at the table perceived this character’s texas holdem image as a weak opponent, but this care-free tourist was winning with his very tight and aggressive style of play. As the poker author left the table and went to the cashier to cash out, he bumped into his Hawaiian shirt, dressed friend and introduced himself. He explains, “I asked him where he was from and to my surprise he said he lived in Las Vegas. I mentioned that he looked like a tourist. ‘I know,’ he said. ‘Why would I want anyone at the table to think I’m a local?’”
Below are 5 texas holdem image descriptions that you may generally find at a poker table: A fish, weak-tight players, the maniac, the rock, and strong-aggressive players. Try to find a texas holdem image description that conveys your style of play or opponents you’ve played with. But remember, just like the article, your opponents may use their table image to throw you off to make you believe they are something that they are not. A Fish: The weakest texas holdem image and player there is. Also the most prevalent, fishes have poor hand selections and will call just about anything (also known as calling stations). This person has very little skill or discipline, investing into too many hands, hoping for a lucky break. Chips are earned mainly from these players. However, fish players enjoy the bluffing element of poker, so don’t be surprised if a fish tries to make a move with nothing or slow-playing by checking the best hand.
Weak-Tight: These players understand the fundamentals of winning at poker and have better hand selection, but with one exception – they’re afraid. They are quite passive and will often check or call rather than bet or raise. They fear losing a pot with an average hand and get bullied around with raises. This texas holdem image may seem easy to bully around, but are capable of trapping you later on. It’s better to lead with a bet if you’re acting before the weak-tight opponent rather than check. When you bet into a weak-tight player, their common reaction would be just calling or folding. If they fold, great, if they call, they’re probably holding a decent hand, but are afraid to bet or raise at the pot because they’re skeptical they might lose the pot. So making a strong play at the Turn would scare them away. Maniac: Also known as a loose aggressive holdem player, these players play as many hands as fishes but are inclined to raise and reraise. It’s quite difficult to tell if they are bluffing or not. They are known to bully players around, but isolating these players by reraising them off guard or having a decent hand will scare them away. Play tight against these opponents and trap these players to knock them out. Play strong hands against these opponents (AK, AQ, KK, etc) or play a hand if you can see the flop for cheap, and if you hit a good hand on the flop, lead off with a bet. The maniac may try to play back and raise, but if you have a considerable hand, then don’t be shy to reraise to make them second think their move.
The Rock: Super tight holdem player who only plays premium hands. They play so few hands, that when they do limp in or call a bet, you’ll know exactly what they have (AA, AJ, KK, etc). Also known as the predictable player. So when a rock raises or calls your bet, you should have alarms flashing in your head that your up against a premium hand. It’s best to stay out of the way when these players raise preflop. But knowing these players only hold big hands preflop, flops with no aces or face cards can be most profitable for you, knowing your rock opponent didn’t hit, unless they hold high pockets. Try to bet a substantial amount to take the pot down. Strong-Aggressive: These holdem players are at the top of the pyramid: Strategic and tactically sound players with the ability to adapt and change gears in every game. They have control over the tables and are much more eager to bet at the pot rather than call. They change pace at anytime, making them very unpredictable and feared by their opponents.
Lesson Two:
Lesson Three:
Lesson Four:
Lesson Five:
Lesson Six:
Lesson Seven:
Lesson Eight: |
Basically, a fish is just a bad player. You can’t bluff a bad player. When a fish has some kind of hand and is still in the pot, it’s obvious he’s got something. Play straight forward – no tricks or fancy plays against these players.