The World's Worst Swordsman - Table Image Strats (2 Viewers)

[ChipOnMyShoulder]

I'm big on exploiting the psychological edge when playing anything competitive. Poker is no exception.

The following is a passage from Mark Twain that is very dear to me for it's wisdom :

But don’t you know, there are some things that can beat smartness and foresight? Awkwardness and stupidity can. The best swordsman in the world doesn’t need to fear the second best swordsman in the world; no, the person for him to be afraid of is some ignorant antagonist who has never had a sword in his hand before; he doesn’t do the thing he ought to do, and so the expert isn’t prepared for him; he does the thing he ought not to do: and often it catches the expert out and ends him on the spot.

We've all seen "beginner's luck" at the table. A newbie buys in for the min, bets/checks out of turn, lands ass-backwards into straights and sets with KK and cashes out for 6x what they sat down with 45 minutes ago.

Adopting this kind of image (note: with control and discipline) has been massively +EV for me.

Punt some of your stack as soon as you sit down, go to showdown with 2nd or 3rd pair, show the table that you will chase every straight, every flush draw. Get caught with your pants down bluffing.

Then top up, hunker down and watch the chips flow to you because nobody will believe you have it when you do. Even when you reveal your strength.

I jammed the river with nut straight on a rainbow unpaired board, heads up against this "pro reg" who likely had a set, he eventually called me even though I said "We're probably chopping". He mucked it, pulling another buy-in out of his little velvet bankroll pouch and complaining about running bad for the last 3 days.

The sharks think they smell blood in the water, but the blood is fake and I have a harpoon gun called "THE NUTS".

My tricks in this arsenal include:

Sunglasses. Fancy flashy ones work well.

Mixing-up terminology. People will make fun of you for repeatedly calling trips "a set" and other fumbles. But you will have the last laugh all the way to the bank.

A friendly, humorous demeanor also goes a long way too. People will give you more leeway, more action. Nobody likes playing against a rock mummified in a hoodie who sits there waiting for AK...

What do you guys think? Does anyone experiment with different play styles? Or do you wear your hearts on your sleeve?

 

[demonnic]

Table image counts for a lot, yeah. I have a hat I like to wear to the poker table which acts as an icebreaker and sets a certain sort of image as soon as I sit down. A couple of shown marginal calls or bluffs and a lot of people won't be able to shake that initial impression. Can definitely help the win rate. Even against the recreational players who aren't necessarily looking for that sort of thing to exploit it will help put them at ease and keep the atmosphere light. You're there to gambol just like they are.

I mean, look at this guy. Would you take him seriously at the poker table?

 

[ChipOnMyShoulder]

I mean, look at this guy. Would you take him seriously at the poker table?

I would shove you all in cause there's no way you have it --- then I'd go to my car in the parking lot and look at my empty wallet.

 

[demonnic]

I would shove you all in cause there's no way you have it --- then I'd go to my car in the parking lot and look at my empty wallet.

The last time I went to Harrah's Cherokee there was one guy who kept getting it in with me because of the hat. He even admitted it while he was doing it. Still kept just paying me off. Even after one of the other people at the table commented that I really wasn't in THAT many hands even if it seemed like it because I was chatty.

 

[Poker Zombie]

I'm big on exploiting the psychological edge when playing anything competitive. Poker is no exception.

The following is a passage from Mark Twain that is very dear to me for it's wisdom :



We've all seen "beginner's luck" at the table. A newbie buys in for the min, bets/checks out of turn, lands ass-backwards into straights and sets with KK and cashes out for 6x what they sat down with 45 minutes ago.

Adopting this kind of image (note: with control and discipline) has been massively +EV for me.

Punt some of your stack as soon as you sit down, go to showdown with 2nd or 3rd pair, show the table that you will chase every straight, every flush draw. Get caught with your pants down bluffing.

Then top up, hunker down and watch the chips flow to you because nobody will believe you have it when you do. Even when you reveal your strength.

I jammed the river with nut straight on a rainbow unpaired board, heads up against this "pro reg" who likely had a set, he eventually called me even though I said "We're probably chopping". He mucked it, pulling another buy-in out of his little velvet bankroll pouch and complaining about running bad for the last 3 days.

The sharks think they smell blood in the water, but the blood is fake and I have a harpoon gun called "THE NUTS".

My tricks in this arsenal include:

Sunglasses. Fancy flashy ones work well.

Mixing-up terminology. People will make fun of you for repeatedly calling trips "a set" and other fumbles. But you will have the last laugh all the way to the bank.

A friendly, humorous demeanor also goes a long way too. People will give you more leeway, more action. Nobody likes playing against a rock mummified in a hoodie who sits there waiting for AK...

What do you guys think? Does anyone experiment with different play styles? Or do you wear your hearts on your sleeve?

I play this way in certain casino settings. Namely, lower stakes ($1-$3 cash or sub $150 tournaments).

Part is because I dgaf at the difference between trips or a set. Hell, I'll sometimes call them "3 of a kind". But the whole thing breaks down as players cycle in and out. Not worth it to give up $300 building up a donkey image, only to have the sharks walk out 5 minutes later, and replaced by new sharks that have no idea that you "donked" off a stack.

At higher stakes, I think the players are astute enough to see through false table images and misleading tells.

 

[allforcharity]

As much as I'd like to think I'm Sun Tzu, I'm more likely to be Don Quixote (or Donkey-xote), tilting at windmills.

 

[Machine]

Table image counts for a lot, yeah. I have a hat I like to wear to the poker table which acts as an icebreaker and sets a certain sort of image as soon as I sit down. A couple of shown marginal calls or bluffs and a lot of people won't be able to shake that initial impression. Can definitely help the win rate. Even against the recreational players who aren't necessarily looking for that sort of thing to exploit it will help put them at ease and keep the atmosphere light. You're there to gambol just like they are.

I mean, look at this guy. Would you take him seriously at the poker table?
View attachment 1427221

The beard says more about the guy than the hat

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Eh, the best image in most games is winning player. I want a big stack in front of me in a capped game and I want people shaking their heads because "it was just my night". Little live gimmicks will work once or twice but also can be very annoying. Try it at a casino in a city on vacation, don't bring it to my home game. I want to look fun and friendly of course but competent and like I'm capable of putting players in tough decisions. That's more important than springing a trap once a session.

Swordsman analogy is fun and there's something to be said about not being able to read noobs, but most times the swordsman is just going to kill the beginner. Same at the poker table; occasionally I'm going to fold the best hand and get shown a bluff and that's okay because I decided it wasn't worth the risk.

 

[surfik]

Two pair of glasses....that's flashy

 

[ekricket]

Two pair of glasses....that's flashy

 

[demonnic]

The beard says more about the guy than the hat

And what's the beard say?

 

[Tonysquander]

With all due respect to Mark Twain, I suspect that Swordsman killed a shit ton of wannabes before that last lucky dumbass shivved him.

 

[DrStrange]

What would we make of these rubes?

Halloween 2016

• DrStrange
• Oct 30, 2016

Hero and villain, Halloween 2016 game

 

[RagingAZN]

Punting off some of your stack for image is definitely going to hurt your longterm win rate.

I think some of the easier things for image you can do is obviously being friendly and jovial but straddling every now and then can be good for your gambool image. Also if the game is good, take part in sidegames such as 72 bounty etc even if you aren't a fan.

With that being said, I don't think you need to overly go out of your way to create an image. Most rec players at the lower stakes are just going to play their cards and not be too observant anyway. I don't go to my local casino much but when I do, I can play TAG ABC and still get value from the fish.

 

[drdr]

The beard says more about the guy than the hat

Ah, stuffed up and quoted wrong person.

@demonnic
And what's the beard say?

Beard and hat (and pony tail?) all say; I want attention cos I'm so unique.

I'll pay attention to vpip instead.

 

[Budha]

Table image counts for a lot, yeah. I have a hat I like to wear to the poker table which acts as an icebreaker and sets a certain sort of image as soon as I sit down. A couple of shown marginal calls or bluffs and a lot of people won't be able to shake that initial impression. Can definitely help the win rate. Even against the recreational players who aren't necessarily looking for that sort of thing to exploit it will help put them at ease and keep the atmosphere light. You're there to gambol just like they are.

I mean, look at this guy. Would you take him seriously at the poker table?
View attachment 1427221

I would think he thinks his hat has thrown me off, but then he will know that I know that he knows. So I will therefore play as if I am confused, knowing that he knows, that I know, he knows.

 

[Huskerchipper]

No

 

[BarrieJ3]

I think 95%+ of folks at a casino are misregs.

Hell, 75%+ of folks at home games and meetups and such are misregs.

I think the only image needed is…less misreg more cowbell!

Play blind, raise dead pre if it’s a room that won’t let you double/triple straddle, kneel on one knee and have the seat next to you pour a drink so you can chug, etc. You get to have fun AND make money!

This last week, within literally 3 hands at the table, reg in the hand folds to another reg’s raise. Raiser comments a joking cmon man, and folding reg says it wasn’t good. I say (shout) across the table what if it was me? He responds with a “probably find a call then”. That’s what we’re looking for!

I don’t claim to know poker or image, but I know that when going to Vegas if I just have a good time, things will work out.

FWIW, I only play PLO and stick to the small 1/2/5 games. Small sample size, have only been to LV about 8-12 times now in the past 3 years, and every trip was + for cash poker (let’s not talk about what happens to those winnings at roulette). I’m gonna be sad when the streak ends, and tbf I’d prob always lose if @kmccormick100 didn’t make me leave tables when he sees me with large stacks of chips and triple fisting.

Nothing like blind betting all 3 streets heads up and then turning over cards after the river and finding out with the rest of the table that you win the hand

 

[BarrieJ3]

There’s also benefits to this beyond $.

At a must move table and don’t want to move? Regs at the table will convince the floor.
Cocktails visit the table more frequently.
Table min/max becomes a suggestion.
The more lighthearted folks will gravitate to/stay longer at your table, equaling better times.

Again, I couldn’t do this at larger stakes and it prob wouldn’t matter there. But at these smaller stakes, so far having fun = winning.

Stay tuned for the downswing that we all know is coming one year!

 

[springbox]

Intentionally donking off money for 'image' is very -EV. Limping a few hands here or there or 3 betting a little loose to keep your vpip up can be fine, but calling a >25bb river bet when you're sure you're beat is just punting, plain and simple. There's no guarantee you'll even end up in a situation to take advantage of your image later, and your donkey image might not even help. They know you're calling too light. Does that mean they're going to call once you turn aggressive? The only exception I can think of is keeping whales happy at private games to ensure you keep getting invites, but that's not happening at a casino anyway. I'm happy to make punts at low stakes home games, but that's because the losses don't sting and it can be fun to try to win an 80/20 toss or give a newbie a win and get some more chips on the table.

 

[ChipOnMyShoulder]

Punting off some of your stack for image is definitely going to hurt your longterm win rate.

Not worth it to give up $300 building up a donkey image, only to have the sharks walk out 5 minutes later, and replaced by new sharks that have no idea that you "donked" off a stack.

But calling a >25bb river bet when you're sure you're beat is just punting, plain and simpe.l

I should clarify the "control and discipline" part people seem to overlook. Nobody's punting with dead money here, but giving that illusion as soon as I sit down is what usually grows my stack very quickly in under an hour.

There's no building, no cultivating or grinding. The image is I have no idea what I'm doing. When players claim that I bluffed the last 12 hands, when they "didn't put me on a flush" on a board of 4 clubs, that stuff is music to my ears.

Would you call a 10BB PF raise with 6-9 offsuit on the BB? Objectively that is a terrible move with a terrible hand. But if you always fold, you will never taste the victory of breaking a man's spirit by felting him and his worthless pocket Aces... Meanwhile the whole table just saw you make an insane play from out of nowhere, in five minutes you've doubled your stack up a buy-in, and can now start applying pressure with the nuts. They will grow to fear you as they pay you off buy-in after buy-in, because you are unpredictable, you could have anything or nothing.

Whether they come to respect you as a competent player after an hour is of no consequence. The point is exploit the table's first impression of you to get as much value from them as quickly as possible.

 

[springbox]

I should clarify the "control and discipline" part people seem to overlook. Nobody's punting with dead money here, but giving that illusion as soon as I sit down is what usually grows my stack very quickly in under an hour.

There's no building, no cultivating or grinding. The image is I have no idea what I'm doing. When players claim that I bluffed the last 12 hands, when they "didn't put me on a flush" on a board of 4 clubs, that stuff is music to my ears.

Would you call a 10BB PF raise with 6-9 offsuit on the BB? Objectively that is a terrible move with a terrible hand. But if you always fold, you will never taste the victory of breaking a man's spirit by felting him and his worthless pocket Aces... Meanwhile the whole table just saw you make an insane play from out of nowhere, in five minutes you've doubled your stack up a buy-in, and can now start applying pressure with the nuts. They will grow to fear you as they pay you off buy-in after buy-in, because you are unpredictable, you could have anything or nothing.

Whether they come to respect you as a competent player after an hour is of no consequence. The point is exploit the table's first impression of you to get as much value from them as quickly as possible.

Well yeah it sounds great when you say calling 10BB with 69o leads to you stacking your opponent with Aces. Except 90% of the time you're going to lose the hand, and your opponents won't notice anything other than that you're calling oversized opens then folding the flop.

 

[Highli99]

Misregs aren’t waiting for AK. They dread that hand and hate playing it. They are waiting for aces.

Gimmicks and acting jobs are silly. Have fun, be good for the game, and play whatever VPIP you want. Good opponents will figure out your ranges and frequencies. You are not going to fool them for long, and the short term may not be long enough for the payoff hand.

 

[ChipOnMyShoulder]

Except 90% of the time you're going to lose the hand

That's not a problem because like I said, we're folding that 99.99% of the time.

If 10% of the time you win that hand, and get paid off more than enough to cover the other 9/10 preflop calls, what is the issue?

Misregs aren’t waiting for AK. They dread that hand and hate playing it. They are waiting for aces.

They're not as pretty as they look that's for sure but they're very useful to throw some weight around.

 

[springbox]

That's not a problem because like I said, we're folding that 99.99% of the time.

If 10% of the time you win that hand, and get paid off more than enough to cover the other 9/10 preflop calls, what is the issue?

Again, if you make very favorable assumptions it sounds great. In reality you're not stacking your opponent 10% of the time with 69o and you'll lose more then 10BB sometimes when you make 2 pair or trips but still get beat by a better hand.

 

[DrStrange]

Working on creating a misleading table image isn't going to mean much vs villains who aren't watching.

 

[PokerSTLplayer]

Table image counts for a lot, yeah. I have a hat I like to wear to the poker table which acts as an icebreaker and sets a certain sort of image as soon as I sit down. A couple of shown marginal calls or bluffs and a lot of people won't be able to shake that initial impression. Can definitely help the win rate. Even against the recreational players who aren't necessarily looking for that sort of thing to exploit it will help put them at ease and keep the atmosphere light. You're there to gambol just like they are.

I mean, look at this guy. Would you take him seriously at the poker table?
View attachment 1427221

Good idea with the hat