A Brief examination of table images

Table image, for this discussion is how your opponents perceive your style of play. It is also your perception of your opponents style of play. Most books stress a Tight/Aggresive image, is best. This is somewhat true, but not completely. This is the safest advice authors can give you, and therefor generally stick with it. If you play tight and aggresive, you will consistantly make a small profit, provide you chose your game properly.

Table image is more like roshambo. Paper scissors rock.
1.) aggressive beats passive.
2.) Super aggressive beats aggressive. but....
3.) Passive beats super aggressive!

Yes, passive beats super aggressive. WHAT? Many discussions lead to arguments over Action Dan's style, as compared to Barry Greenstein as compared to Gus Hansen.

3 different styles, that seem to be highly affective at different times. The best o the best, know when to to let a super aggressive bet himself right out of chips. I am concentrating on this point 3 as this is the one rarely discussed. We have all heard agression, agression, aggression. But when is passive appropriate.
An attribute heavily associated with Johnny Chan is his ability to "shit gears" on the drop of a hat, even in the middle of hands. All of the sudden he lets someone keep the lead with check calls, then pow a huge raise on the river.

When you see a tight aggressive, adjust to tight Super aggressive.
When you see a tight super aggressive, become tight passive.
When you see a tight passive, become tight aggressive.

When you see a tight table composition, become loose aggressive.
When your table compasition is loose, be tight aggressive.
When you see a highly aggresive table, become passive.

Tight is pushed as the preferred style, because you won't b e in many marginal situations. As you loosen up you are forced into closer decisions.
Increasing your variance in certain game is the way to maximum profit.

Bill

Another good post Bill. You need to write a book. Too bad you don't have the name to sell it. Or do you?

Excellent thread Bill!

Can Johnny Chan really shit gears? And he does it at the poker table? Yeuck!!

We could always get out heads together and come up with a name that will sell. On a serious note though another fantastic post Bill, you'll have to give us a bit of an interview one of the days.

Good post, I tend to agree from my experience. I do well getting very passive against very aggressive tables and vice versa, but handn't thought about the middle ground as much. The roshambo analogy really helps it to make perfect sense.

I don't want this to look like a cheap easy post, but that is really great advice Bill. I agree with Webber that the roshambo bit is key.

I had seen another post mention keeping notes on when players call/check or raise to get some quick data on who you're playing against. But, how do you do that in quick online games where everyone has the hands on "autopilot". In other words, what strategies do you use to differentiate playing style?

Bill's suggestion especially applies to play money. I made a killing at the play money tables playing a very tight-passive game because everyone else played like they didn't care, since it wasn't real money. But even at the micro-stakes RM games, that kind of craziness is not common.

Still, thanks much for the insight, Bill.

eternitas

We don't usually like to see old threads revised - but this was a good one. I had never seen it.

Who is this elusive Bill guy anyway? The few posts I have seen from him are excellent. I just might try to read all of his one day lol.

I agree Dakota, I've seen 2 from him and they're both excellent, not only they make you think about but most of all they're new ideas to me. The other one I saw from him was a study of high pocket pairs, and I was impressed when I read it, I really liked it and took something from it.

Appearently he doesn't post here anymore, I wonder why. A big loss.

Interesting. It's an adjustment I already automagically make when I'm faced with a loose hyper-agressive opponent. Never fails.

Didn't know people could shit gears.

But ya...Bill came back briefly, only to disappear once agian

He's a med-high stakes player, IIRC. Very solid threads and ideas every time. Look up his threads.

**** you got my hopes up that bill had come back from hiatus