Which of Your Poker Images Should You Hang on to?

• Author: Tom Kearns
• Filed under: Poker
• Date: Feb 8,2010

It may be entirely beyond the average poker player that at any moment of the game he or she projects a specific image. Players are either unaware of the fact that an image had better be consciously maintained or trying to avoid projecting any image by assuming a sort of somberly inexpressive expression. Shielded behind shades and baseball cap, unsmiling, moodily silent, they believe that they thus \”minimize\” communication with the rest of the table.

These players are not invisible and they will give out sufficient information for the experts to pounce on. Their very image of non-imageness will draw more highly skilled players towards them because the pros sense an amateur here. Not only that, but they may be frightening off the less skilled players, the very ones they want to profit from.

A neutral expression does not make you difficult to observe. Well-managed communication with opponents, if properly done, will give a much better result than holding on to that blank, wordless image. Blankness is undoubtedly a sign of frailty rather than robustness.

The blank attitude is a retreat from any active involvement and retreat is always a sign of weakness. In addition, these blank types are not aware that their more highly skilled counterparts can inevitably read their tells at some point during a hand because old stone face is still a human being after all.

Amateurs will for the most part prefer tables where they can have a good time. The successful businessman and the brilliant engineer, cruising around the room, are looking for a table where players are relaxed and friendly. They will look and listen for good times before they at all try to appraise potential partners\’ actual poker skills, and are most likely to opt for those tables where people seem to enjoy themselves most.

For a player intending to earn a regular income it is important to be able to cater to these basic desires of the fun-loving amateur. A constant stream of amateurs is the wise professional\’s regular income. A happy amateur is likely to stay longer at your table, dare more, bet higher, and loose more, more willingly. But the amateur is likely to leave a table full of Egyptian mummies.

Sparkling conversation and a sense of fun in combination with compliments on others play will keep an amateur in a trusting frame of mind and keep him returning to that table again and again. They don\’t play for an income or for the thrill of risk so they will not be upset by losing to an amusing opponent.

By keeping weaker opponents in a fun frame of mind, you encourage their high hopes of lady luck finding her way to them. Lady luck will visit occasionally and turn them into frequent players and attract still more fun-loving amateurs to the table. If you display a cold attitude, they will leave.

Top professionals know that they always project an image and are always careful about what they project. They design the image according to the best of their interests, not to avoid contact. Their key to success lies not only in superior technique but often in the ability to create, through persona and ability to manipulate the game cleverly, situations which project a positive experience for their unsuspecting prey.

The author is a full time online poker player and makes the majority of his income from his online play and rakeback at Betfair. To sign up for a Rakeback account of your own visit Rakeback Solution.