loose image VS tight image

How many think having a loose table image is more profitable than having a tight image. Recently one of my friends told me he feels I am playing way too tight, and I do not get paid off as much as I should on my legitimate hands. I also do not get as much action on my preflop raises as he does. However, I think my image also allows me to steal a few more pots than most players. I am curious to hear how other players feel about this. For example should I show a few bluffs from time to time? Or When I do make a blind steal does it really do any good to show the rest of the table. In my experiance good players usually look right through you when you show them you have made a varience play because you are just trying to entice everyone to call down you legitimate hand next time around.

[Herb N.]

I believe a tight image[in hold em]Will make you more money[in games 10/20 up]If you dont play TOO tight mayby pick the suit of the day if the suit is clubs whenever your delt 2-clubs you enter the pot.I tend [if thier hasnt been alot of pre-flop raising to play from any position 3/5.Again if the game has had alot of P.F.raising disregard this advice.otherwise play a solid rather tight game.practicly never show your hand,by playing the suit of the day,or your favorite hand[not both now!]you will win some pots and get to show this shi..poop and have a mix in your play.overall I believe winning a pot[because of a tight image]is worth many extra calls you may get because you have too loose a image,plus these extra calls can work as a double edge sword because sometimes the chasers catch up.Play tight -mix up your play dont get caried away and make it a friendly table.players tend to give people they like action.

[Mason Malmuth]

This is out of my book Poker Essays

Appropriate Image

One aspect of successful poker play is what I like to call “appropriate image.” The idea is to match your image to the game you are playing so that you can manipulate your opponents, allowing you to win more money. I don’t consider image to be a major part of winning play since I believe that if you play strategically well, your image will take care of itself. However, following is what I think are the best images for five different games. By the way, I am only addressing middle-limit play, that is, games from the $10-$20 through the $30-$60 range.

Before we start, here is my criterion for appropriate image. Basically, you want to see what mistakes your opponents are making and then encourage them to exaggerate these mistakes. For instance, if your opponents are calling too much, you would like them to call every time. If they are not calling enough, you would like them to fold every time. Also, the following is what I believe to be generally true, but a particular opponent may behave much differently.

Game No. 1: High draw, jacks or better to open. The major error in this game is that a poor-playing opponent calls too much, especially if he holds the joker in his hand. This is true both before and after the draw. Since most pots are not too large, incorrect calls can be significant errors and add a great deal to your profits. Consequently, the best image is one of a loose lively player. Somehow, you should only rarely bluff but make your opponents think you bluff all the time. One way to accomplish this is to raise with marginal hands in certain positions where it is correct to do so. An example is to “pop” a late-position opener with a pair of aces and then to draw three.

Game No. 2: Ace-to-five lowball. Before the draw, most poor-playing opponents call too much, but after the draw, they don’t callnearly enough. The before-the-draw error is not too costly since the edge between many lowball hands is not that great. However, after the draw, those opponents who will not call when they are last to act with something like a jack or a queen are making a serious mistake. This implies that the best image is tight but aggressive. The ability to steal pots can easily turn an otherwise marginal player into a significant winner.

Game No. 3: Texas hold’em. One of the characteristics of hold’em is that you do not flop enough hands. Also, some flops appear where it is likely that none of the cards showing have hit anyone’s hand. (An example would be 9-9-3 of three different suits.) This means that the ability to steal pots is crucial in this game. Consequently, a tight but aggressive image is most important, perhaps more important in hold’em than in any other game. The exception would be against very weak opponents (who are perhaps new to the game) who don’t yet understand that calling with one overcard with several players still to act behind them can be suicide. In these games, you will just have to show your opponents a hand.

Game No. 4: Seven-card stud. Many players in this game do play too many hands on third street; on the other hand, the pots quickly get so big that it often becomes correct to chase. The exception is when your opponent’s board has become very scary. Perhaps he has paired his door card or has something like a four-flush showing. Again, this means that the ability to steal a pot, even just every now and then, can add significantly to your earn. Since the pots do get extremely large, it is only rarely wrong for your opponent to call on the end with a weak hand. However, throwing away the winning hand in this game is clearly a disaster. Again, a tight but aggressive image seems to be what one should strive for.

Game No. 5: Razz. For those who don’t know, razz is seven-card stud played for low. The major error that bad players make in this game is to call on an early street when they shouldn’t. For example, assuming that you started with a good three-card hand and youcatch a baby on fourth street, if your opponent has caught bad (either he now has a big card or he has made a pair), you would like for him to call. The best razz players seem to have the ability to gain these calls. They do this through non stop talking that at times can be irritating to their opponents. The conclusion is that in this game, as in high draw, a loose lively image is what one should strive for.

[brad]

well ill say this.

in the wild holdem games i play in (20/40) there are some people, usually older regular players, who dont get the action everyone else does. for example in multiway pots may raise the turn and get only one caller, when anyone else would get the whole gaggle.

why this is im not *exactly* sure.

but note that to raise a big field on the turn you need a pretty strong hand, and so what happens is their strong hands dont get paid off nearly as well as most other peoples. and note that despite this they cant buy pots either because one guy will call them down.

really i think this idea or some variant is one of the reasons some regulars dont seem to win as much as they should.

and also ive thought about it and its not just how these guys play (tight rather predictable sometimes), but i really feel how they look, their physical appearance and demeanor , plays a big part.

well theres my 2 cents.

[bob2007]

what do you guys think about the online game? I think i'm probably too tight for my own good. typically 20% flop in a 10 handed game.

[Clarkmeister]

If you are talking about the flop seen number in the top right of the paradise stats box, then yes, 20% is too tight.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

That sounds a bit tight. For me to be at that rate, I'd have to be sseing a lot of trash. On Paradise 2/4, I'm usually at about 26%

Although I dont play on paraide anymore, I was at about 22%. That being said, I was not a winning player when I quit. If you arnt beating the game, my advice would be to find another site or stop playing online.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

That's good advice. regardless of stats, the bottom line should guide your decisions. I've grown my bankroll at Paradise by 40% or so over 10 weeks, so although I'm not beating the game as much as I'd like, I believe my *education* is on the right track. /forums/images/icons/grin.gif