6 Responses

1. dunhate2

   November 28th, 2009 at 10:47 pm

   1

   Being friendly is good because people dont want to bust you as much.
   To me the most important thing though, is to get a good image. If you play TAG bluff a little more and people will respect it. If you are LAG and you have the nuts bet with it. Dont slowplay (if you check then people will know something is up)
   Another good method which is used primarily to mix up your play is to raise with trash hands(58, 25) once in a while. If you flop a strong hand like a boat you can put your oppenent on tilt. But do it rarely.
   You could also be like phil hellmuth but people will want to bust you more. The pay offs though is that if you have a good hand you will probaly get more value from it because as i said people will want to take your money so they will call.

2. JazzOne

   November 28th, 2009 at 11:31 pm

   2

   You have to pick a style that is comfortable and profitable. Some of my poker buddies criticize my game because I am so tight. But I am a winning player, and my style is comfortable for me. I don’t have to be the best player; I just want to take home a profit. I am a very intellectual and reserved person, so it wouldn’t make sense for me to start acting like a jerk at the table. If you’re normally talkative and good at BSing, give it a shot.
   You can experiment with different styles, but always ask yourself these questions:
   Am I enjoying what I’m doing?
   Am I playing winning poker?

3. Billy

   November 29th, 2009 at 1:23 am

   3

   i think this is your best poker question so far!
   (it would be nice if you vote for my answers sometimes though)
   anyhow, i believe you should do whatever it is comfortable for you, and what you are confident in relative to the other players
   i’m the quiet type, so regardless of whether i’m playing with friends or with strangers in the casino, i avoid talking (which is a form of a “tell”)
   i think its good to get comfortable, so a lil small talk isnt too bad, but obviously, focus on your game
   then theres the “phil helmuth?” approach, where you try to intimidate players and put them on tilt… i dont know about this one, but i suppose if you’re very good in both that and poker in general, you can take the cost of everyone trying to call you out
   this might be best used in the mid-late game, and you need to be consistent, since different tones can be seen as different tells

4. sabes99

   November 29th, 2009 at 1:30 am

   4

   i definitely prefer the first approach, because of my style of play and overall personality…if you are a LAG player it would be horrible to try to be the next phil hellmuth, because you don’t want people to take shots at you, you want them to be timid and weak so you can bluff them and take advantage of them…besides that, i find hellmuth’s antics and those of people like him annoying, although his berating of opponents fits right into his style
   you can, however, make the poker brat style work for you, but you have to be a tight player to make it work effectively, since people will want to come after you and they will try to play pots with you and call you down, when it is working properly…therefore, you need to have the goods when you try to antagonize opponents, because if they catch you bluffing it will be a confidence boost…you need to show down the goods to get them to go on tilt, which is the ultimate result that you want
   however, if you don’t want to come off as a jerk, you won’t use the hellmuth approach, despite the fact that it can work

5. Zippy

   November 29th, 2009 at 5:12 am

   5

   Best strategy Be yourself example I am a Reserved Guy so I ply Tight and aggressive when challenged I stay cool if I have the upper hand Iam cool But I put pressure on you in a Silent way by slowly raising you! or buy Check Raising

6. Ace of Spades

   November 29th, 2009 at 11:40 am

   6

   Well.
   Number one, always try to keep a friendly, talkative environment at the table. People playing friendly poker always throw away more money for fun. Make sure you keep your guard up and play serious though.
   I tend to try to get the respect at the table. Talk a lot. Be friendly. Be honest. Play well. And get the table respect. People will fold to you more often when you bluff, and respect your raises. Easier to steal small pots, and play big ones
   Ace