Very good table image

[GoCubsGo]

I was wondering if it is good to have people at your table know you are a good player. If the other players think you are very good, what will their reaction be? At first I thought they would probably respect your raises, but they might think of it the other way: Since you are good, you probably are bluffing them. When I play against a solid player, I feel it helps me narrow their hand range down considerably, and for this reason, I think it would be bad for the other players to know that you are a winning player. What are your thoughts?

[jay1313]

You are overthinking yourself and giving the average player too much credit. FWIW, I have you as a solid player, Some hands I might re-raise with other people I would throw away against you, but I still play my usual game. After the flop, we go from there. Play solid and keep your notes. The bad ones will still cold call your raise and the good ones will still re-raise you with their premium hands.

[R_Ellender]

I personally don't want my opponents to respect my bets or raises, so I usually play LAG early on unless I know I'm at a table full of calling stations. Even the most "perceptually-challenged player"(to quote Harrington) will notice when you're playing more pots than others and playing them aggressively, so they will respond accordingly by paying you off later that night when you do hold the goods.

For the most part, as the above poster said, you don't need to worry about table image because your opponents aren't good enough to grasp the concept. However, even bad players are aware of the guy who plays no pots as well as the guy who plays alot of pots, and that will usually have some emphasis on their decisions. As long as you don't play super-tight, you should still get some decent action when you pick up a hand.

[bernie]

The only time I worry about my 'image' is when I'm not getting much action on hands. I showed 'bobdibble' this the other night (if he remembers) when I raised from EP in a game with a bunch of people that know me(as a good/winning player), and got about 4+ coldcallers. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Put this on the low priority list. Make sure your game is solid.

b

[RydenStoompala]

Other than getting the image really wrong, I do not think it matters much. What I mean is that sometimes people who strive for some kind of image say and do things that are not consistant with their play. If others perceive you as a know-it-all smartass who does not walk the talk, they will play into you every time. The best way to project a good image is to quietly win the pots you enter...and be freakin nice to the donators. It's just plain dumb to come across as an expert. Come across as lucky.

[SNOWBALL138]

This depends on what mistakes you are trying to induce. If you believe that your opponents fold too much and that your "expert image" will make them fold more then thats fine.
However, if they call too much, and your expert image makes them fold more often, you are helping your opponents to play correctly.

Those are just examples, but the point is that it depends on what mistakes your opponents are already prone to make. If you can encourage them to continue those mistakes against you, then it is beneficial to do so.

However, if you are unsure what the result of your "Image projection" will be, then it may be best to spend your efforts on other things.