Table Image: Part Five

Repetition has long been accepted as one of the most essential factors in learning. Whether you are trying to master a physical skill, a foreign language or poker, it is mandatory that you combine study and practice. In this series I always try to begin with a brief review of what has already been covered. If you are really diligent, save these columns or later go to the Card Player website to review them. It is often necessary to try to apply something in your regular poker sessions, and then return to the material you have been trying to apply.

Decide what works and what doesn’t. Figure out what you have mastered and where you need more work. In the previous parts, I have introduced the topic of table images. I have discussed what an image is, the most important images to be aware of, and of how images are created. Images arise in two ways. Obviously the way you have actually been playing is the main factor in creating your image. But the hands your opponents see and the statements you make can also serve to modify your image. You should actively try to script the most beneficial, plausible image for a particular situation. Your table image controls what your opponents think about you. What your opponents think about you has a strong influence on how they will play against you.

In the previous columns I mentioned that there are four important images: loose, tight, pushover and tough defender. I have also discussed the advantages and disadvantages of loose and tight images. I have suggested some methods to actively create these images by emphasizing certain aspects of your play and making comments that reinforce those aspects. In this column, the pushover and tough defender image will be discussed.

These images are particularly relevant in two situations. One is the play from the blinds. A pushover lets late position raisers steal his blinds. A tough defender does not. The other is calling large bets and raises. A pushover generally folds unless he has a lock or very close to it. A tough defender generally calls unless he can’t even beat a bluff. If your opponents think you are a pushover, they will try to steal your blinds and they will use raises, reraises and large bets to scare you out of pots. If they think you are a tough defender, they won’t try to steal or put moves on you nearly as often. But they will bet a lot of mediocre hands for value, expecting you to pay them off more often than you should.

Which image is more valuable? This depends on your style and your opponents. If you tend to fold a lot, you’d like to have a tough defender image so they won’t steal so much. If you really are a tough defender, you’d like a pushover image. The more they try to bluff, the more times you will pick them off. If your opponents are generally maniacs who bluff, bet and raise too much, you want them to think you are a pushover. Then they’ll make mistakes against you.

Normal players tend to call on the river in limit games with a very high frequency. There is a lot of money in the pot, and you are getting a good price to call. Pots frequently contain ten or more big bets. Calling costs only one. You have to be very sure you can’t win to turn down 10-1 odds. Likewise they fold more often in no-limit and pot limit games. If you call a pot sized bet, you are only getting two to one. Even a bet of half the pot, only gives you three to one. So you probably want to have a pushover image in limit games. Since you are calling anyway, let them put an extra bet in with their losing hands. If you are playing no-limit, you will be folding more often. In these games, a tough defender image is best.

Again try to reinforce the image you want your opponents to perceive. Here is an example of trying to create a tough defender image in a no-limit game. A third card in a suit arrives on the river, and the board now shows K 9 8 6 2. You have Q 10 and have been betting the whole way. Your under the gun opponent goes all in. He might have an ace high flush, but he might have a lower flush or even be bluffing. You think for a little while, and then make the obvious call. He turns over the dreaded ace high flush. Now what? The typical player turns over his losing hand, and looks around for sympathy. A more disciplined player just quietly folds. Both these players have missed an excellent chance to create a tough defender image. Throw your cards into the muck. Look a little embarrassed. Comment, “I can’t believe I just called a huge bet from the tightest player in the world with just a pair of queens. Something made me think you were on a straight draw.” You opponents have no reason to doubt you, and some of them will start to think of you as someone who can’t get away from a mediocre hand. Make sure your opponents see any marginal call you make on the river.

Even if you are going to fold, make it a policy to think for a few beats. Perhaps add in a comment like “I hope you can beat ace high. I would have called a medium pair for sure, but I called off all my chips twice yesterday.”

As with the other images that have been discussed in these columns, look for opportunities to make misleading statements. False images in the minds of your opponents equate to money in your pockets. Even tournaments that have ridiculous rules about talking during hands allow you to say whatever you want after the showdown and before the next hand is dealt. Missing opportunities to create a misleading image, especially when playing with players who are unfamiliar with your style, is one of the most costly mistakes you can make, and yet most players don’t even consider it a mistake. ♠

Steve “Zee” Zolotow, aka The Bald Eagle, is a successful games player. He currently devotes most of his time to poker and can be found at many major tournaments. When escaping from poker, he hangs out in his bars on Avenue A — Nice Guy Eddie’s at Houston and Doc Holliday’s at 9th Street — in New York City.