Mirror Image

Despite the abundance of material on the subject of "table image," I've chosen to write about it here for two reasons. The first is that I believe it is the single most important part of your game, and the second is that I believe many people still don't fully understand its meaning and significance.



Table image refers to the way your opponents perceive you at the table. Each opponent you face will form an opinion about you and how you play regardless of their experience level, and each opinion will be different. A more experienced opponent will base her opinion on the way you play different types of hands, not only against her, but against others at the table. A less experienced opponent will base his opinion solely on the hands you've played against him. A complete amateur may base his opinion on something far more arbitrary, like the color of your shirt. No matter the basis of their opinions, your opponents' perceptions of you will affect the way they play against you.



It has been said that in poker, you profit from your opponents' mistakes. When it comes to table image, the more you play in a manner that is opposite to how your opponent perceives you, the more likely you are to cause him to make mistakes. In other words, you make the most money when you do the opposite of what your opponent expects. You should endeavor to be a mirror image of the way your opponent perceives you; left is right and right is left. She expects you to bluff – you never bluff. He always expects you to have the nuts – you raise him with air and take every pot away from him.



To do this effectively, you first must determine how your opponent perceives you. This can be accomplished through trial and error. When you get into a hand with an opponent for the first time, try to take control of the betting and muscle the pot away. If you meet strong resistance, fold and remember to avoid betting hard at this opponent unless you have a strong hand, and then look to build a big pot by betting for value as often as you can. If, on the other hand, your opponent lets you control the action and gives up his hand quickly, look for every opportunity to bluff him and take a small pot away.



Just remember not to let this trial-and-error phase get out of hand. Pick spots where the pots are small and you can take small stabs at them to gauge your opponent's reaction. The last thing you want to do is commit a large portion of your stack against an opponent whom you don't know yet.



You need to experiment with each opponent individually and determine how each one perceives you. A common misconception is that all opponents at your table perceive you in the same way. In fact, each opponent will construct a separate image of you in his mind. So, you need to be aware of your opponent's image of you in each hand and realize that it may be different from the opponent with whom you played the last hand.



This understanding of your image will be a major factor in determining the line you choose to play in a given situation. As I said, you want to pick the line that is the direct opposite of what your opponent expects from you. Having said that, there are a couple of tricky scenarios that will arise:



1. Your opponent's perception of you changes.



If you notice an opponent starting to play differently against you, it's usually because she has changed her perception of you based on the history you have developed together while at the table. When this happens, you need to switch things up again; discover what her new perception of you is and strive to be a mirror image of that perception (do the opposite).



2. You get into a multiway pot with opponents who see you differently.



If you find yourself in a hand with multiple opponents who all see you differently, your best bet is to play as straightforwardly as you can. Never get out of line by bluffing in these situations. It's just not worth it.



If you know and understand how each opponent at the table perceives you, and you strive to play in a manner that's opposite to what each expects, you will make money. It's as simple as that. So, remember – experiment, exploit, and adjust. Use trial and error to discover each opponent's image of you and play against that image, and when an opponent adapts, switch it up again.



Marc "Myst" Karam is a Canadian poker pro who has won millions of dollars competing in major poker tournaments all around the world. Despite his tournament success, he makes his living primarily by playing online cash games on Eurolinx Poker at some of the highest stakes available.