Poker isn’t as simple as raising with your big hands and folding all your trash. One of the key elements of any game is being able to put your opponents on a likely range of hands and adjusting your play accordingly.
If they are raising four or five times every orbit it’s safe to say they are doing so with a wide range and you can make life difficult for them by calling or re-raising a lot of their bets. Conversely, if they have folded for two or three orbits then suddenly raise UTG, they almost certainly have a big hand and unless you have a monster yourself it’s best to stay out of their way.
In both of these instances, whether it was deliberate or not, these players have established for themselves what is known as a “table image”. That is, you have developed an opinion on how they play and the hands they are likely to hold based on their level of aggression.
With this in mind, it goes without saying that you too have a “table image” – and if you are aware this is the case you have a great opportunity to manipulate it to your advantage.
By being aware of how the other players view you, you can adjust your play to take advantage of their reactions. For example, if you have been raising a player relentlessly and can tell that their frustration levels are rising, there is likely going to come to a point where they crack and shove over the top of your next raise. If you anticipate that this shove was a reaction to your play rather than to the cards in their hand, you can profitably call their shove much lighter than you would have if you had been playing a “tight” style and faced the same scenario.
Whether you have a loose image or a tight image, there are advantages (and disadvantages) to both. An aggressive player might find life getting a bit tougher if his opponents start playing back but at the same time they can expect to get much better value from their big hands because their opponents are less likely to believe them. A tight player generally relies far more heavily on the dealer being kind to them but their image means opponents are much more likely to fold to their raises. This provides some great opportunities to steal.
The next time you sit down at the tables, don’t just spend your time trying to work out your opponents. Also ask yourself how they might view you. By being aware of your image and playing accordingly you will give yourself a huge advantage.
