Different and the Same
11 November 2009
Poker players are often advised to change gears and mix up their style to confuse poker online players. How can you do this with your poker game? How to you make deliberate decisions to mix up your play?
One way is to follow this tip: Play the same hand differently; and play different hands the same.
What does that mean? If you always play the same poker hands in the same way, then you become easy to read. For instance, if you always raise 3x the big blind with a big pocket pair or AK, then your opponents get a better idea of what they are up against. By varying your betting, it makes it more challenging to get a read on you. So when you get big hands, vary your betting. Put out the three-bet sometimes, others times make it 5x and sometimes just limp in. Don’t become too habitual and predictable in how you bet the same hand.
You should also play different hands the same was as you play other types of hands. For instance, if you tend to bet 3x the big blind with pocket faces, then sometimes put out that bet with pocket 2s. Play your lesser cards sometimes as you would the big hands. Make it impossible for your opponents to know if you’re holding a big pocket pair or more humble cards.
By playing the same hand differently, and then playing different hands the same, you can camouflage your hands and intentions.
