Adapting to table styles

Being able to adapt the way you play compared to the style of the current table will help you tremendously, as each poker table you enter will bring a different challenge. Sometimes you will need to be the aggressor of the table, other times you will just need to sit back and be patient. The problem most players have is they stick to just one playing style no matter what is happening around them, which limits their profit.

An aggressive table

When sitting at a table with a lot of aggressive players, it is best to stay on the sidelines a bit more and let them do most of the work. You simply just have to be patient and wait for a big hand, which you will more then likely be paid off with. The only trouble with this is if you play too few hands, they may see you as an incredibly tight player and not give you too much action on your big hands. The best way to approach this is to mix up your play from time to time, make a few bluffs and be sure to show them to add mystery to your image. They won't be able to put a good read on you, so playing against you will become significantly tougher.

A Tight Table

Playing on a tight table, as you may well have guessed, is completely different from an aggressive one. You may find the average pot is fairly low and the player per flop percentage is around 20%. Because of this, your style should completely change. You should become the aggressive player on the table and take control of the game. By being aggressive you should find yourself picking up a number of pots without even seeing the flop. Although these are the biggest pots, you will still be taking down the blinds which all increases your chip stack. When you do this however, you are prone to your image becoming stale, and the other players at the table may take a stand upon you. They may start showing strength back at you, and because of their image you will have no option but to muck your hand unless it is a premium one. When the table starts to change dynamics like this, just become tighter again, making them unsure about your play once more.

A Mixed Table

What we mean by mixed table is a game involving both tight and aggressive players. This is the most common type of table of the three, and one which has no real strategy. You should just play your normal game at this table, applying the style of play against each type of player from the paragraphs above. Playing more aggressive against the tighter players and being patient against the aggressive.