Poker is a game where players win money by bluffing or getting paid off for their hands.
To maneuver successfully between the two methods, players must realize their own table image- or what I would like to call credit. When you have credit (a good table image) players will fold to your bets more.
However, when you have no credit, players will categorize you as a bluffer, and play back at you or call your bets much more frequently.
Today I am going to explain the differences in the way you should play poker based on the type of “credit” you have.
A table image with no credit
Playing without credit is tougher than playing with credit. It’s not necessarily bad to have no credit in the eyes of your opponents; it just means that you have to play a super tight game and minimize your bluffing frequency.
When is it that players give you no credit for hands? An example is where you raise pre-flop with 3-8 suited in a shorthanded game and bet pot on both the flop and turn/river and got called down, thus exposing your horrible hand.
Players will see this and will not give you credit for a good hand the next time you raise pre-flop or bet flop. They will tend to play back at you (re-raise you) as often as they can. Mostly, they will do this with a check raise or a raise on the flop. Getting played back at constantly can be very expensive.
If they hold any pair on the flop, they would most definitely call you on the flop, and probably on a later street. Thus, switching to a super tight game is a good choice. Yet, by realizing that a raise on the flop by your opponents on the flop is likely to be a bluff, a re-raise to re-steal the pot could be appropriate depending on your read but you must be careful, players will also tend to check their monster hands to you and either check raise you the first time you bet, or on a later street, hoping to let you put money in the pot.
In short, you will get into trickier situations when you have no credit at the tables. You can use it to your advantage if you understand that your opponents will be re-raising with marginal hands.
The advantage of having no credit in the eyes of your opponents is that they will call many more of your bets and pay you off for your big hands. The disadvantages of having no credit are that you must play a much tighter game and you must be very selective bluffing, thus greatly diminishing your value of position.
A credible table image with credit
Playing with credit is much easier to play than playing without credit since people’s bets and raises against you are more likely to mean a good hand and there is a lot less reverse psychology involved which makes it easier for you to analyze.
When you start at a new table, you usually start out with credit in your opponents’ eyes. Players will be more likely to give you the benefit of doubt.
An example where you would gain credit is if you raise pre-flop with AK and check the flop of rags to the river. This gives the impression that you raise pre-flop with good hands, and you don’t bluff often (since AK was probably the best hand at the flop but you didn’t bet it). When you have credit, it is much easier to take pots after you raised pre-flop and bet the flop. Players would be less likely to play back at you with nothing.
It also makes your opponents easier to read. For example if the flop comes 3 8 8 and you bet, players will tend to fold to you unless they have a pair or the trips and if someone calls, you should probably check the rest of the way.
I play more aggressive when I have credit. I will raise pre-flop more liberally (especially in position), and bet out at almost any flop. I will also be more likely to raise someone on a draw. I will also be able to get clearer reads on others since their play will be more straightforward.
To summarize, the advantage of having good credit is that you will be able to steal many more pots and have players play more straightforward against you and the disadvantage is that you will less often be paid off for big hands.
Switching gears and changing betting patterns based on your credit becomes much more important as you play for bigger stakes. Realizing how much credit you have will also give you clearer reads on your opponents’ intentions and also helps you make better plays.
Good luck at the tables!
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Tags: Alaska, playing style, poker table image, tilt, winning strategy
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