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 Using Your Table Image in an Online Poker Tournament.
Your Table Image in an online poker tournament can become assets to your poker game if used properly. It can also be devastating to your poker profits if you are not aware of this factor.
Even in online poker tournaments you will have a table image. Table Image is basically how the other players at the able see you based on how you have been playing poker. If you have been playing a lot of pots and have showed down some marginal hands they will think you are loose. If you have been betting second best pair like the nuts they will think you are extremely aggressive. Sometimes your table image in an online poker tournament will be loose aggressive even when you aren’t. Let me explain lets say that you have been catching some good cards and have been playing a lot of pots, raising preflop and betting aggressively after the flop. None of the hands have gone to a showdown. Now think of how the other players see you. So far you have raised a lot preflop and bet aggressively after the flop and no one has seen your cards. So from the other players perspective you have been very aggressive and have been bullying the table. Since they have not seen your hands they don’t know that you are playing a tight aggressive game. This is why it is important to pay attention to how others see you in a online poker tournament or any poker game for that matter. This information is quite valuable if you can take advantage of it. Most players when they are starting out are just focused on the cards but good poker players start to focus and study their opponents to determine what they can get away with. So based on the example above what it be a good idea to try and steal a pot based on your table image? Answer: “ No “ because right now players think you are buying pots this would be a bad time to try and steal a pot. Because you have been so active and their have been no show downs its usually a bad time for stealing. However this is the perfect time to play your quality hands even more aggressively. Lets say you have raised preflop several times lately with decent hands like AK, AQ, or such and now you catch a monster hand like AA or KK. What should you do in an online poker tournament now based on your image? You should be even more aggressive. Likely you will get a caller because someone will likely decide its time to stand up to the table bully. This all happens because from the other online poker players perspective you have been bullying even when you have not been. Since their were no showdowns they don’t know you had it. So in this case play your big hands even more aggressively. Now lets look at the other example. Lets say you are playing in an online poker tournament and you have played very few hands and when you did play it went to a showdown and you had premium hands. No the other online poker players in the game will be thinking, “ Man this guy has had it every time. If I am going to challenge him I better have a hand”. Is now a good time to try and steal pots? You bet it is. Since now the other players are seeing you as a tight player that only plays premium hand and bets them, they will likely let you have a pot uncontested. This is also why a tight game early in a poker tournament is ideal. It sets you up to be able to steal easier later on in the game when the blinds are high.
This is what Table Image means. Most people will only focus on the other players or the cards. It is important that you think about how the other players see you and that you adjust your poker game accordingly to maximize your profits.
If you have any other ideas and suggestions on how to use your table image to your advantage in an online poker tournament join our poker forum.
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