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ADJUSTING YOUR PLAY in TEXAS HOLD'EM POKER
Poker, at the very highest levels, is more about playing your opponents rather than the cards. In low limit hold'em, fancy play is much less effective however, because your opponents will likely call to the river with just about any imaginable hand. Low limit hold'em is more about showing down the best hand. Being able to adjust your play depending on your opponents is still important, but in more subtle ways.
The Calling-Station: This type of player is by far the most common. These players rarely raise, and primarily check and call all the way to the river. You should never try to bluff a calling-station, because he isn't wise enough to fold. You don't need to be tricky and lure these players in either - if you have a hand, bet it. Otherwise you are just giving them a free chance to beat you. Calling stations will beat you with unbelievable hands, catching miraculous cards at the river. Most of the time they won't make their longshot hands, and ultimately just end up giving their money away.
The Rock: A "rock" is a player that plays very tight, doesn't get involved in many hands, rarely raises or bluffs, and typically folds unless he has the winning hand. When you're involved in a hand against a rock, you can try bluffing at the pot more often. If he doesn't have top pair or better on the flop, he'll usually fold. If he calls, carefully look at the board for any straight or flush draws that he might have. The possible cards that a rock might be holding are usually very limited - you won't usually worry about him holding a 64o or other crazy hands. If the turn and the river don't complete any possible flush or straight, you might try betting on the river again, even if you haven't made your hand. But watch out when a rock raises - he usually will have the goods, and unless you have a very good hand or draw, you shouldn't call.
The Maniac: Maniacs raise and reraise and are totally unpredictable. They will seemingly play any type of hand, and are true gamblers. You never know what a maniac might have, and it's wise to carefully pick the hands you play against him. Though maniacs frequently play low percentage hands, even a maniac can get good cards every now and then. Frequently, if you have a good hand against a maniac, but are unsure whether it's the best hand or not, it's best to just check and call him all the way to showdown. If you make it to the river against a maniac and you have any type of hand (even just a small pair), never fold to his river bet.
The type of play that we recommend lies somewhere between a rock and a maniac.
You want to be selective with your starting
hands, and fold when you miss the flop. But you need to be aggressive,
and unafraid to raise or reraise when you probably have the best hand
- extracting the most money from your opponents as possible.
You need to be aware of how other players perceive you as well. If everyone thinks that you're a rock and folds to your raises, then you may want to start raising more hands and bluffing a little more. If you've been caught bluffing a few times, and nobody believes you when you bet, you will need to tighten up your game a little and play better hands. In most low-limit games though, your opponents will only be thinking about the cards that they have, and be totally oblivious to the way you're playing.
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