Adapting Your Play

Everytime you sit down to play poker, the game is different. There will be different players, seated in different positions, and even the players you recognize might be playing differently than normal.

Now that you know the general types of players and types of tables it is time to learn how to apply this knowledge and adapt your strategy to suit the situation.

Step 1: Analyzing the Game

There's a ton of information you know about the game before you even sit down. First of all, you know what game you are playing. For example, 5-10 Hold'em. You also know where you are playing. You might be playing at an online poker room or at the casino. It also matters which casino or online room you are playing in. For example, I can tell you that the 5-10 game at Brantford Charity Casino - where I usually play - is a very loose game, sometimes passive, sometimes aggressive. Also, if you play there regularly, you will probably already recognize some of the players at the table. At the same time though, if you recognize them, they may recognize you as well.

Step 2: Analyzing the Players

When you sit down at the table, the first thing you will do is notice which players you recognize, and note how they've played in the past. If you don't recognize anybody don't worry, you can get a pretty good idea of how people play in the first thirty minutes at the table. Instead of looking around the room and watching television while you're not in a hand, you should be watching the other players at the table. Pay attention and take note of which players are always calling(loose-passive) and which ones tend to be raising or folding(tight-aggressive).

At the start of the game it will be sufficient to classify players into general categories, as this is the only knowledge you will be able to get this quickly. As the game goes on, you can continue to watch players, and you will soon learn more specifically how they play.

Step 3: Consider the Players' Position

Once you've given the players a general classification, you should be thinking of what it means to the game. Where these players are sitting makes a huge difference. If you have a loose-aggressive player sitting somewhere to your left, you can use him/her to bet for you when you're going for a check-raise. If nobody to your left is likely to bet unless they have a strong hand, you would have to come out betting to avoid giving away a free card. If you have a really tight player sitting to your right, you know that when he/she is betting, they probably have something good, so you can usually drop speculative hands at this point.

There are so many different ways to adapt your play that I wouldn't even dare begin listing them, but there are a few important examples here. The point is that you should always be reading the other players and adjusting your strategy accordingly. One final warning, if you are sitting directly in between two maniacs you will have to play very tight and wait until you have very strong hands. These players will continue raising and trap you along, and may cost you tons of money if you aren't having a lucky day.

Step 4: Continue Studying your Opponents

It is important to continue studying your opponents while you're at the table. If you pay close enough attention, you can eventually broaden your knowledge on a player and go beyond the general classification you assigned them early in the game. You will start to recognize how they act in certain situations. Eventually, you will be able to tell what they're holding just by their betting patterns. The more information you gather about your opponents, the better you will do at the table.

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