xOneCoolHandx
Legend
Bronze Level
If by balance we mean "mixing it up a bit" in terms of of all the poker decisions points you mention, then yes I think it is important and it is a part of my game that I have been working on and constantly have to remind / force myself to incorporate into my play. It definitely does not come natural to me.
I think the challenge is to Not To Stretch it Too Far, So Frequently, that your play just becomes Stupid and it becomes Counter Productive. As long as you can do it with purpose and in moderation and with some desired outcome in mind, I think it Can Be A Very Good Thing and perhaps Even A Necessary Component Of A Winning Play! Of course, there will be times when it seems to have achieved the desired objective, and I Smile With Satisfaction at the End of The Hand! And, inevitably there are times when it does not work out and I Say To MySelf, What An Idiot! Why did I play that hand like that!
It seems to me that varying your "decision / action" range up a bit is also important when you tend to play frequently against the same people. Just when they think they have you figured out, you toss them a Change-Up, lol! Sometimes the change-up if successful will go unnoticed, as I do not often voluntarily show my cards. Other times when unsuccessful, your "Change-Up" may ultimately be exposed. I used to try to avoid this situation at all costs, as I found this to be embarrassing, and did not want to be viewed as an idiot. As I have gained a bit more confidence in my game, I actually take much less offense to being Criticized at the Table when one of these "failures" is exposed. Obviously it was not the intended outcome, but at least I take some satisfaction in knowing that they noticed, and perhaps the next time, my cards will be different and a better outcome will be achieved.
Also, even if you are playing against unfamiliar opponents, each action you make tends to generate a certain general perception from your opponents, so even this can be very valuable and work to your advantage within a game.
I guess my current thinking is that Adding Balance To Your Game Can Be A Big Positive, but the Trick is Deploying it in Moderation both in Terms of Frequency and Variability and Having A Purpose In Mind, When You elect To Do It! This is coming from a recreational player that is still stuck on Page 7 of my Poker Bible, "Poker For Dummies", but give me some time to work through the content, as I just bought it approximately 15 years ago, lol!
Anyway, please give me some feedback where my thoughts may be off base!
Great Seeing You Back At The Tables and In The Forum, Mark!
Teddy
Actually, I think you are right on the money Teddy and your play does show it. You have solid ranges in the various positions that you tighten or loosen according to your stack size.
I do believe that that vast improvement in your game has been the direct result of those 6 and a third pages you read in the Poker Bible...and of course, reading, re-reading and living all of the teachings of a wise old master from CC (who shall not be named ).
I believe that balance becomes more important in two instances: 1. When you are playing with a lot of the same people regularly (like the CC family) and the higher you go up in stakes. But, by the same token. While I start off pretty well balanced, I become more and more imbalanced against opponents that I have spotted some leak or weakness in their game (i.e. they c-bet 1 BB and fold to a raise when they are weak and c-bet 1/2 pot when they have something reasonable).
Most people don't understand that GTO is just the groundwork of an exploitative strategy. If you are truly playing optimal poker, then you are analyzing your opponents and figuring out their strengths and weaknesses so that you can play optimally against them. I think I am going to write on this some more in another thread.
Hope to see you soon my friend (I haven't called anyone luckbox in awhile )