I’ve thought alot about ways of turning my game around, and taking it in a new direction lately. I’ve turned more towards thinking theoretically about poker rather than looking at it as profits, which used to be my number one focus. Also reviewing my play and seeing what can be improved, taking way more notes on players and using them against them, and analyzing playing styles.

I’ve gone through a few different playing styles so far, just as everyone does, but have been thinking alot about what the “ideal” style is. The two styles that are widely considered to be the most profitable are tight-aggressive, and loose-aggressive, and of course there are infinite variations of the two. With a tight style, your hand selection is much smaller, and therefore your winning percentage is higher. Of course with a tight style you don’t get paid off with your big hands as much since your opponents expect you to have a strong hand. With a looser style, your hand selection is much wider, and though your winning percentage is slightly lower, you are picking up plenty of small pots with fold equity that you’ve bought with your constant betting. Again of course the swings are much higher with a loose style; you may lose some bigger pots, but your big hands will also get paid off quite nicely since your opponents aren’t expecting to see a premium hand.

So which is better? I suppose it depends on your personal preference; some are just more comfortable sitting back and not getting their hands too dirty by playing a premium hands-only style, while others like to mix it up and get in on the action. My personal preference is a mix of the two; I believe the best style is that which compliments the table’s style. A player who is constantly switching gears and adjusting to his opponents’ styles is the smartest one, in my opinion. For example, at a super-tight table filled with rocks, a blind-stealing loose-aggressive style suits best. But what happens when these players get sick of you stealing their blinds, and decides to fight back? Well this is when switching to a tighter style to compliment your opponents’ looser play is the best solution.

Another interesting point is how to manipulate your table’s style. I read about a player, who’s name escapes me, who used to do a very original and effective thing every time he sat at a tight table. He would raise his first 10 or 20 hands blind. He might lose alot of money after a while, but the outcome would take care of that deficit quite nicely. Players would be dumbfounded at this newcomer’s looseness, and after a very short while, from frustration, would loosen up too! He would effectively change the table from a rock-solid tight table to a loose-aggressive gambling spot. After he had manipulated the table’s style, he would switch right back to his normal tight-aggressive game, and his hands would get paid off incredibly. This is a prime example of advertising a table image, and using it to your advantage. This one was a little extreme, but also yielded extreme results.

Anyways, these have been the types of things my mind has been running through the last while. I’ve been thinking a whole lot about styles and such lately, and just thought I’d share my thoughts : )

Anyways, as for my SnGs Challenge progress, it’s been going quite slowly. I haven’t posted in a few days because there’s been so little to write about! I’ve only played a total of 6 games in the past week or so, and I really need to pick up the pace! At least in the ones I’ve been playing, I did fairly well. I’m thinking about doing a jackpot sit n go challenge after this one is finished, in hopes of possibly hitting the jackpot (It’s a longshot, I know) or maybe getting a consolation prize. The payouts are much different with those games, so my strategy might have to change a little bit.

I know I said it before, but this challenge has done wonders for my game, my thinking and my bankroll.

Number of games: 35
Total bought in: $ 572
Total cashed out: $ 806
Total profit: $ 234
ROI: % 40.91
ITM: % 48.57

Bankroll: $ 1,625.48