Adjusting to table conditions.

I have been really experimenting with my NL HE game over the past month or so. I had played a SUPER tight, aggressive/passive style for a long time, but recently I have become aware of the need to alter play based on table conditions. I've talked about playing passively - and how for awhile I was steering towards using a passive style to trap opponents. In the past couple weeks I have switched to a more maniac style in certain conditions in order to get players who are playing tight/passive to fold - semi bluffing with any pair, any reasonable draw, or straight out bluffing when I think my opponents are weak. What I have learned from my experimentation is that no single style is the correct way to play poker. Its quite interesting if you play the wrong style in the wrong conditions you get completely destroyed (for instance loose/aggressive against calling stations does not work).

What I have noticed is that your opponents should completely be dictating play. For example, today I was playing my usual ten, 100 NL tables on Hollywood Poker. I started out with my "base" tight aggressive style. Playing tight, betting out AND bluffing at a lot of flops, and reraising players a lot in position - I was not doing well because players kept reraising or check-raising me on the flop. I was forced to fold AA or KK five times in less than an hour in these spots. In addition, players would call nearly any bet on the flop with draws, any pair, or even with nothing. I kept getting outdrawn or bluffed out of pots with hands that I very often pick up a pot (middle pair or a flush draw). A semi-bluff isn't much of a bluff if your opponents will never fold. :P

This is when playing passively on the flop can be a great change in strategy. I switched to basically playing just as aggressively before the flop - reraising with premium hands in position (or out of position to end the hand immediately), but I would check any flop where I didn't have a set or better. My results immediately changed - I started winning lots of pots with bluffs on the turn and I wasn't being challenged as much by reraises because of how scary a check and then pot sized bet (or raise) looks. In addition, my opponents weren't betting me out of draws so I got to hit my hand more often than usual - allowing me to win by hitting miracle cards in spots where I really shouldn't even see the next card (if my opponents were playing aggressively). When your opponents will call/raise if you bet, but let you see free cards if you check - then you can capitalize on this.

I think this type of "table detection" is one major component for playing great poker. Its not about simply deciding "Should I play tight or loose?" but rather "How can I take advantage of how my opponents are playing?" - "How can I win more with my good hands and minimize my losses when I am behind?" My main mistake has been sitting down with a style in mind. Instead I now want the table to determine my style - and a tight-aggressive style is a great place to start a session, but it might evolve into a maniac or mouse strategy if the situation calls for it. :)

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On a side note, my friend Matt has taken up online multitable poker and we have spent a great deal of time discussing strategy over the past few weeks. He is interested to contributing to The Muck, so we will try to get that up and running ASAP.