Are you a chameleon?

[morgant]

When playing games we all have our own idea of optimal play and strategy. How much do you change your play to fit the pace of the table you are sitting at. Do you have your basic style and alter it from there? Can you just completely play as several different people depending on your table conditions? A very common response is, it depends on the players, and how they perceive you. Is it always good to have a tight aggressive persona, or can it be good to play that way but give off a weak tight demeanor. Do some winning players always play with the same strategy and not adapt to table conditions, but yet bull through them. Just hoping to spark some discussions along these lines of different players and playing strategies.

[Mike]

I try to watch my own play verses the tables play and making adjustments about every 30 minutes (dealer change). I think this is about optimal for myself, as in a normal 30 minute period I usually am not playing many hands.

When I am in the hand, I try to play in a manner that hopefully takes advantage of the other players weakness'. although this isn't always possible in a well mixed table. For example, if I have noticed a player will call but not bet, I am more willing to lead with the betting with a weaker holding. If a player has folded to raises, I am more aggressive to hopefully raise him/her out of the pot.

When I am very keen to what the table is doing is when the table tilts or goes wild. As these conditions go away faster then they they start, I usually make a guestimate of the table 'state of mind' hand to hand because I don't want to be in with a loose hand when most fold around the table.

[CrisBrown]

Hi morgan,

Yes, I'd guess I'm a chameleon, in that I do change styles depending on the circumstances. Although I don't know how much of it is "changing styles" and how much of it is just adapting to the situation in a given pot, with a given set of opponents.

In general, I try to mirror the table: tight when the table is loose, loose when the table is tight, aggressive when the table is passive, passive (in the sense of letting the others do my betting for me) when the table is aggressive.

But that is just an "in general." If a table is generally playing loosey-goosey but I find myself heads up with a solid player, then I have to adjust my play accordingly.

If a table has been playing loose all along, and suddenly it's folded around to me on the button with KJs, I'm going to play that KJs as if the table were tight ... because for this pot it is!

If a Mouse (tight-passive) raises, I'm going to respond very differently than if that raise came from a Jackal (loose-aggressive). Conversely, if a Jackal checks, I'm going to read that check very differently than if it came from a Mouse or an Elephant (loose-passive).

When the table gets short-handed, I'm going to get more aggressive. If it fills back up, I'm going to get more cautious. And so on.

Is that being a chameleon -- changing my style -- or is it simply adapting to each hand, each set of opponents, and each pot as it comes? I don't know. But I think you need to do this to be successful.

Cris

[SevenStuda]

Winning players always play with the same strategy and don't adapt to table conditions.

[Nottom]

[Mike]

..

[Mike]

Not to stray from the main thread, but I do have a problem when the table goes from short handed back to full or almost so. I have a hard time putting my short handed over aggression back in the box. Any one else suffer from this?

[J_V]

Not sure what limits, you are talking about, but I have a problem with play passive when your opponents are playing aggressive...that's not gonna beat decent aggressive players. And at the high limits, all players are aggressive and the worse players take it a little too far. The 2+2 notion of letting players "hang" themselves only works against total fish.

[CrisBrown]

Hiya J.V.,

I don't necessarily agree that only total fish are subject to being trapped. But I'm not so much talking about heads-up pots as tables where there are several people betting aggressively. At such tables, I don't have to reveal the strength of my hand by betting into them. I can let them lead the way until I'm sure I have the nuts, and then play back and sting them.

This of course is designed to discourage their aggression, and once they back off ... I get aggressive again....

Cris

[CrisBrown]

Hi Mike,

I think this comes with experience and practice. I play two-table SNGs at PokerStars, so it's an every game thing for me. The table starts at nine, then thins, eventually to five until the 10th player goes out, then the two tables are combined and it's back to nine again.

That gear-change is second nature by now.

Cris

[sam h]

[ QUOTE ]
I can let them lead the way until I'm sure I have the nuts, and then play back and sting them.


[/ QUOTE ]

That doesn't sound like a very good strategy. Rather than waiting for the nuts in order to "sting them", I'd generally advise "kicking them in the nuts" (ie, raising and value betting whenever possible) when you have any kind of edge at all.

[Ulysses]

What he said.

[Chad4yew]

Personally, i like to challenge overly aggro players when i have the nuts.
If the aggro player raises pre-flop and i look at my hole cards to see AA, ill re-raise, only to see him go all in. Its great.

Normally i play like a rock and occasionally steal some pots by betting big with middle suited connectors.

But when the maniacial-aggro player comes, i loosen up some and often enough i take him down.

Maybe im a cruel person, but i feel that i have to slay thee enemy.

[bunky9590]

Good example was the table in the OIC that we were playing at together. 4 calling stations playing nearly every hand, well you are going to have to show them a hand early on.

I raised preflop with AK twice, flopped an Ace or King and they held up, twice (I know, its unbelieveable), and then the raises began getting respect. I raised UTG with AQs and everyone folded. few hands later I had T9d in the CO folded to me I raised, everyone folded.

People perceived me at the time as solid and gave my raises too much respect, bacuse nobody wanted to call the raises out of position or with position against what they "knew" was a really strong hand. LOL. Then when they did call the raise, (i had AK again) Flop K high with 3 spades, A turned (I had A spades) and Ace rivered , uh oh. Raises will really get respect now. I was also able to steal a coulpe of flops that came raggedy with a low pair, e.g. 9 2 2 rainbow. A bet in that situation from the BB stole the pot, I had A8o. All about using the solid image, Won't get a lot of big hands paid off, unless they are chasing you down, but pick up the small ones. They add up.

Opposite occurs when I' in a ramming jamming game, where pots are multiway and are never for a single bet, I play pretty much Big suited connectors, pairs that dont hit trips are gone, ad Big pairs, but be able to release when they are OBVIOUSLY beat. Variance will be up but the pots you hit will be monsters.