Unpredictability in pokerWatching celebrity poker – is there anything to learn here? Most good poker players wouldn't hesitate to say: no way Jose, those guys can't play for squat, what the heck could one learn from them? At best, one could probably learn how not to play.... As these celebrity poker tournaments are usually done for charity, the atmosphere sorrounding them is usually a relaxed and entertainment oriented one. The celebs speak up freely on their view on poker and many of them iterate the fact that they didn't have a clue what they were doing during play. Some of them also figured this might even be an advantage as it'd make them really unpredictable. The fact is, that great poker players do vary their play. They do this to avoid predictability and thus to avoid being read by their opponents. Many beginner players also feel that unpredictability is an effective weapon in poker, and thus they blame all their outrageous moves and plays on "varying their play" However what the rookie player feels about unpredictibility is only half of the truth. Unpredictability in itself is not a weapon in poker, it has the potential of becoming one in the right hand, but in the hands of a rookie it's nothing more than a sorry excuse for not willing to learn the ins and outs of the game. What is it that turns play variation into the weapon that everyone seems to acknowledge in the hands of a real pro? Knowing when to deploy it. One has to start from recognizing the fact that there is a basic "sound" way one can play poker. Some simply call it the "sound" strategy, others call it "tight-aggressive". The truth is, that if a good player decides to stick to this "sound" way of playing he'll automatically pass off as a tight-aggressive player. Folding on hands that are simply lame, and going for the kill on strong hands is what makes a play sound. Now – by the nature of the game – most hands will be forfeited, however, what makes the difference between a winner and a loser in poker is the way he/she plays the occosional strong hands he/she stumbles upon. The repeated folding of weak hands might convey to the other players – those who actually pay attention- , an image of "tightness", however, since luck is a factor in this game as well, one can't help hitting a few lucky hands every now and then. Playing these hands to the max not only makes one a winner but it also shows an "aggresive" image, despite the fact that the player in question is neither a tight nor a particularly agressive one. He's simply a good player. Changing the play to confuse others is a great weapon in real (B&M) poker games, however it can almost comletely lose its edge once someone goes online. Online poker is different in the sense that players at the virtual table have a lot fewer clues to help them read any opponent, plus the multitude of distractions that are present ( some players play more than a table at the same time, others listen to music, still others watch TV in the background or only play for a few minutes before going do to something else) almost guarantee that no one will ever notice the changes you make to your play. In real poker games, as in the ones played in Online casinos, it pays to advertise your hand after the showdown. In trying to create a completely unreadable persona one might want every now and then to take a weak hand too far just to show it off afterwards. Folding a strong hand though is simply counterproductive. During all this maneuvering one needs to be careful not to fall into his own trap. Playing too many weak hands way too loose in order to confuse the competition, can make one a loose player for real. The basic "sound" way to play should always be kept in sight, with a loose hand fired at the opponents every now and then just for good measure. |
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