You Want a Piece of Me?!?

I played a session in a tough 10-20 game a few nights ago that has me thinking about table image.


When it appeared to other players, early in the session, after a few overpair (me) vs. set (them) battles, that I was "running bad", I all of a sudden felt like a target -- three betting standards went way down against me, and all of a sudden the game, when I was involved in the pot, became much more aggressive.


When this happens, and I feel that I have the best hand, should I be playing back more, or should I be calling more. I think that calling ultimately demonstrates weakness in a way that encourages players to take shots at you. But ultimately, shouldn't I want players to take shots at me with inferior holdings? Especially if their three bet is clearing out the field?

I have noticed the same type of thing. When my body language says, "I can't win a hand right now", players seem to play back at me more often.


To me, this is a mixed bag. When I have a solid read on the players it can be a very profitable situation. It makes for many more tough decisions though.


I've been trying to look and "feel" more positive at the table when I'm not going well. I'd just assume not be the guy with a target on my chips.

In general, and there are always exceptions when you hold a very strong hand, you want your opponents to be predictable. This means if they three bet you, you want to be sure that they have a very strong hand. If they also occasionally three bet with a hand of lessor strength, it costs you money.


Here's an easy though contrived way to see this. Suppose you are against someone who normally only three bets with a pair of aces. Now for some reason he changes his strategy so that one time in ten he also three bets with seven-deuce. As far as you're concerned, you still have to assume he has those aces since you can't profitably play pass the flop unless you make a very strong hand. Thus, everytime he makes the play with the seven-deuce he theorectically wins a little extra from you.


This carries over to real play. If your running bad makes people take extra shots at you by occasionally raising (or reraising), it is to your detriment. By the way, my current column in Card Player discusses this very topic, and we have already addressed it to some degree on our Psychology forum.


Best wishes,

mason

"if they three bet you, you want to be sure that they have a very strong hand."


Excellent post, Mason.


I'm so uncomfortable when things go as they did for Roy that I'm quick, maybe too quick, to just quit, recycle, go to another casino, quit for the day, whatever.


But when I play through those times, I tend to play a more passively as an attempt to counteract their properly aggressive treatment of my aggressions. Do you think that is the best countermeasure? Or am I just wimping out after being whooped?


Tommy