Adaptability in Poker

[XYZ2123]

Obviously it is important to have a good grasp of strategy in poker, but there's always so much new advice, analysis and strategy coming out that it feels overwhelming sometimes and difficult to keep up with. I think its important to remember that different strategies are just different tools you can use and the more you have in your arsenal the better. There is no one “right” way to play all the time, and that the most important skill you can have as a poker player is to be able to gauge and adapt to each situation or hand that you find yourself in. What do you think?

 

[Collin Moshman]

Good players are definitely very capable of changing gears. There are some absolutes, like for example, it's always wrong to call off your chips with a 5-high gutshot getting only 2:1 odds at the turn. But most strategy can and should change based on who you're up against!

 

[Phoenix Wright]

Adaptability is arguably one of the most beneficial traits of a poker player. The game is always changing, the opponents are always changing, the cards for each hand are always changing etc. and so the only way to continuously keep winning (like the pros do) is to learn to adapt and change your own play as well. Mastering this adaptability often goes into the realm of exploit-ability. It could be as simple as value betting with the nuts against a tilted player, or as subtle as altering your 3-bet frequency against one specific player at the table.

I think all good poker players must adapt on some level and most are constantly adapting.

 

[Matt_Burns88]

Obviously it is important to have a good grasp of strategy in poker, but there's always so much new advice, analysis and strategy coming out that it feels overwhelming sometimes and difficult to keep up with. I think its important to remember that different strategies are just different tools you can use and the more you have in your arsenal the better. There is no one “right” way to play all the time, and that the most important skill you can have as a poker player is to be able to gauge and adapt to each situation or hand that you find yourself in. What do you think?

Yes, poker is always changing and evolving as the best players in the world find new ways to beat the current strategy, however, the fundamentals never really change that much. 72 is still rubbish and AA is still the best starting hand you can have.
If you can create a solid TAG foundation, you can build your game around that and introduce one concept at a time. As you develope your game, the changes in the poker world that once felt so drastic they made you feel dizzy will no longer feel like such a big deal.