Creating Your Playing Style

[t1riel]

I read an interesting article about how one person's style is different from antoehr player, but it's the perfect styles for them. I'd like to paraphrase the important and main point.

You derive your own style of play and if you play enough cards (and you have an idea what's going on), that style is going to be the right style for you. You shouyld let your own play evolve into something that works for you. One of the biggest mistakes a lot of players make is watching a style on TV read about a style in a book and immediately replicate it.

When you look at your own style objectively, you should fell comfortable with it. I'd like to quote something from the article because I think it's a great point.

" So when you're looking objectively at your style, take a moment to reflect: are you playing this style because you're comfortable with it, or are you playing this style because someone else is comfortable with it? If you're honest, I think the adjustments you make as a result of this could lead to some of the best self-assessment that any poker player is capable of making."

For those of you who want to know who wrote this article, it's Alex Schwartz. I agree with this but what do you think?

 

[twizzybop]

are you playing this style because you're comfortable with it,
Sure do.. found out plenty of times.. once I play out of my comfort zone it always bites me in the ass.

 

[titans4ever]

I have tried to be more aggressive when in hands and bet everything out, sets, draws etc. I would bet out more chips than I normally would just to try and take down some pots and punish people when they do call. I just did not feel comfortable doing it.

I think it would be even harder live, since the look on your face may give things away when uncomfortable.

 

[~~Shelynn~~]

T1rel-nice article and I agree with it,think a person has to feel relaxed and comfortable to play,they have to find what best works and feels right to their style of play.

 

[Jesus Lederer]

Agree with that.
When you read a book or watch tv looking for styles and strategies to copy and add them into your game, what you´re really doing is to watch general patterns of the different ways of playing.
You can classify the players by their style if they are tight or loose in the hand selection and if they are aggressive or passive at the betting sequence, but those are very general classifications. You can modify one of those characteristics a bit and you change the style completely, so everybody can have a different style.
Every strategie you read may change according the specific situation you´re playing at, so what you have to do is to add all those strategies and styles patterns into one that you feel comfortable with it. You have to create the combination that suits better for you and make you win, so what you have to do is to try playing different styles and realize which one shows more profit and the most important thing is that you feel comfortable with it, so you can play at your maximum potencial most of the time.
Is important to find your own style, but it´s also very important to be able to change gears without getting out of your zone of comfort. So you need to be able to construct your own style with a wide range of strategies that you feel comfortable, and not just one. That´s hard at the beggining, but with practice you´ll learn it. That´s important because as i said you must play according the situation, and with every different game you play it comes a different situation.
You must be comfortable with your game because in that way you´re going to play better and committe less mistakes. Your goal in poker is to make your opponent to committe mistakes against you, so if we think a little the best way to do that is to take him out of his zone of comfort. How we do that? Here you have to apply the "reverse strategie". If your opponent is playing too tight, punish him for that by raising more pots. In that way he is going to be obligated to play more hands, and there you took him out of his comfort zone. By playing more hands your opponent is forced to play in later streets with non premium hand, and there you can outplay him. On the other hand, if your opponent is too loose, punish him for that by playing just premium hands but when you play them bet hard. That are classic strategies, but to do them right you must know how to play in your comfort zone even when you switch the style.
Another aplication for that is the classic tournament situation: "play tight early on and loosen up when the blinds grow up". To do that you must know both sides of the coin and play on each one at your maximum potencial (or at least not decrease dramatically).
Ok, you must find your own style to play most time at your comfort zone, but you have to realize that if there exist some general strategies it´s for some reason. You don´t have to call a $1000 bet into a $1 pot with an inside straight draw just because you feel comfortable doing it. I know it´s a ridiculous example, but the idea is that you must read those strategies on books on anywhere else (like here) and extract the essence of them to add them into your own tool box, so you can apply them in your own style according the situation.
Also there exist some situations where in my opinion you must play according a determined style, no matter if you feel comfortable or not. An example of that is if you play at low limits. To be successful there you must play extremely tight-extremely aggressive, never try to do a complex move and of course never bluff, because you´re going to get called by junk. That example is a specific situation, but in general terms in a normal quality game i completely agree with the article, you must find your own style.

 

[~~Shelynn~~]

Jesus way to go! You hit the nail on the head,again!

 

[osirisdean]

wholeheartedly agree that
a) you should develop your own style after a while and
b) have the ability to change gears when necessary.

dan harrington spoke on this topic in his book (harrington on holdem vol 1). he states that typically speaking you grind it out by playing -your- style, particularly with opponents who are familiar with-- but you make the most money playing the -oppopsite- of your style. sounds weird, huh? he explained that if you are a tight player, your bluffs will gain more respect and therefore you are able to make more money (in a comparative sense) by your bluffs than by playing your monsters since people are less likely to call. conversely, if you are a loose/aggressive player, you will make more money by sitting, waiting and sniping because your monsters are more likely to get paid off.

great thread, btw. i think it's a new topic here.