Playing the Players in Online Poker
This is definitely the most interesting topic that I have ever
covered. Playing the player has absolutely nothing to do with your
cards. I will discuss with you a study I preformed and how it led me
to a big-time profit on No-Limit cash tables.
It was late at night and I was sitting at home playing poker
online. I had just gotten off the phone with a friend who had lost a
lot of money playing. While we were talking, I joked about how I
usually dominate him heads-up. He said, "The only reason you kill me
heads-up is because you have watched me play for years. You know
exactly how I bet and what hands I like to play and what hands I
like to fold." I told him he was right. I also had an epiphany that
would lead to over $6,000 in winnings that very same night.
My Own Personal Project
That night I wondered aloud to myself, "If I were to know every
regular who plays No-Limit on a consistent basis with me, wouldn't I
make a huge profit?" The short answer here is "yes," and what I
found out was shocking, to say the least.
At the higher limits, you will encounter many of the same players
over and over. It is nothing like the lower limits where people move
in and out of games quickly. I play with many of the same players on
a daily basis.
For about 4 hours I studied each regular player exclusively. I
pulled out a binder with a ton of paper and labeled each page with
the name of a player, and listed which hands I have seen him
showdown throughout the page. I began to detect patterns in almost
every online player. I thought this was great because every time I
play one of these players I should have an edge. It never occurred
to me how big of an edge it would be until I joined my first game.
My First Trial Run
I joined a No-Limit table with $3/$6 blinds. I knew that all of
the players there were good and I had played with all of them in the
past. One was a maniac and the other four were tight, solid players.
When I recorded each hand they had played in my book, I noticed
the distinct betting patterns they used. For example, one player
named XjohnX would raise any pair $30. When he had a premium hand,
AA, KK, or QQ, he would raise $24. I picked up on this fast and
called his $30 pre-flop raise. I put him on a pair. I had pocket
queens so I knew I probably had him beat pre-flop so I re-raised the
pot to $48. He called and we saw the flop A -K -10 .
He went all-in and I made a quick call. He showed down 9-9.
The point I am trying to make here is that knowing your opponents
makes a huge difference in what you bet and what you fold. I would
never have made that call against any other player, but
unfortunately for XjohnX, I called his semi-bluff.
I am not advocating that you make a book for each player; I am
merely trying to get the point across that at the high limits
knowing the players you are up against is extremely crucial. I can't
stress enough how important it is that you pick up the tendencies of
your opponents at the card table. Also, always remember that this
does not hold true for the low limits. Most of the players there are
bad and simple basic strategy should be used. |
