Its obv to me, I say swtich poker rooms. Lol, problem solved. Very good article. I just try to keep the pots small when Im bluffing and even if ur caught, they always think that u will also play the big pots the same way bluffing at them. Low limit players I have noticed in the casinos, they dont pay that much attention for the most part. However, five ten nl Im sure is a completely different game.

Another thing I use toward my table image, and it seems to get me paid off alot is my mouth. I run it alot. Constantly blabbering and just joking and messing with everyone, and for some reason with this, when ur never serious, and ur caught bluffing a couple times they never think u have a hand.

I don't get this article...he says his LAG image hurts him, and then he cites a hand where he got all-in with an overpair against ace high as a 2-to-1 favorite and happened to lose the hand. Isn't that exactly the spot you WANT to get your money in, and isn't it your LAG image that enabled you to get your money in there? Yeah you lost the pot but it was still a major +EV situation.

As for the other example, normally if you're raising in early position, I think you want hands like KT calling you, assuming you're able to read hands well (and if you aren't, you shouldn't EVER be playing LAG). You said you played TAG in EP but you're raising 4.5x with K9. You said you wanted someone to raise with a flush draw or a "weak king" when you had a 9 kicker...and then you're surprised someone stayed in with KT. I don't get it.

I like to show bluffs and control the action in a lot of pots too. And when I have a hand like top pair 9 kicker I like to keep the pot fairly small, even if I have a flush draw also. I like to take advanage of my LAG image (if that's the way I'm playing) to build a big pot when the other player has top pair T kicker and I have them destroyed, not the other way around.

Its one of the very few negative comments i ll make...

IMO the article should be moved in the bad beat section..

Its simply well... not smart, to relish ur image if it makes Ace High , to call all in or flop or anything else... for me the article is nothing more than the daily bad beat story...

I am a LAG player, with an extremely LAG image.. i see ppl making plays that never make any sense against me... i p ost many such hand histories here

if i ever complain cos my aces get called by 23 , well shoot me:-)

Boooo (N) for the article

I agree that this article may have been written in a moment of frustration, as most of the situations described were either cold deck or bad beat scenarios, I guess I'm just more curious how people react to situations like this either live or online.

I play in a weekly league game and I have been struggling lately where in the past I have dominated this group of mostly casual to very bad players. Part of my problem is that where I used to be able to win more pots without showdown people who used to fear my bets have been keeping me honest. I'm still happy with the situations I'm getting my money in with, so I guess there's not too much I'd do different, but if I'm missing something I'd like to know.

BTW, I'm probably the furthest thing from a LAG player you will find, but because I'm one of the few people in the game who bets and raises rather than calls their chips off, the rest of the table seems to have finally gotten fed up with my agression (after 2 years! ; ). I guess I should say that I have been getting shortstacked here trying to make some more "creative" plays which are obviously lost on most casual players, so I know where I can easily plug some leaks.

How do you handle a table that has put a target on your back?

The article points out the importance of understanding your own image. The position you find yourself in can often become more profitable once the other players have put you on a particular style of play. The fact that they are calling you down with weaker and weaker hands should be increasing your profit as long as you are aware of the situation and adjust accordingly.

1st Key You are aware your preferred style of play
2nd Key You are aware of how others perceive you
3rd Key Determine the most profitable style of play to counteract their perceptions

Bottom Line: Once you have determined how they perceive you, use that info against them to extract their chips.

To answer Lenny's question, you wait until you have a monster and play it the same way you played your bluffs. In other words, treat them like a calling station. After you pop them for all of their chips a few times, they will adjust to your tight play and then you get to shift gears again and steal them silly! Isn't poker fun?

I don't get this article either. You want people calling raises with K-10off, he got lucky and hit it that one time, he'll keep calling your raises with crap hands like that and have to fold when you continue bet and he didn't hit, which is most of the time. The hand with A-K against QQ, I would love someone to call me with just A-K in that situation, in cash games you are looking for edges like that anytime you can get them. These hands both sounded more like bad beats to me. Didn't you build up your bankroll because you get so much action from worse hands?

lol thank you for rewording my post

Heh, ty for the article. However, raising K9s utg +1 is hardly tag - not that I wouldn't do that. That is nitpicking though.
I can only apply this to what I know of tourneys. I guess I have a reputation online as being lag and willing to put my chips in on a bluff. This is true and untrue - I do show most of my bluffs and do occasionally show down absolute garbage. When I think its +ev to push any two I really will push any two. I've also had days where I've been a bit more prone to overaggression and move making. However, I am actually a pretty much a tag player for the most part and have had to adjust because I get repopped every time I raise in the higher rebuys. That is fine with me - keep pushing in with K2o for 20BBs every time I raise in late position. It happened the other day like 4 times in the 100r - I raise in lp with AK and this donksack pushes all in for like 11x my raise with KJ I call and he wins. At the time I was kind of annoyed but hey, I want that action. He even said "I know you're aggressive that is my only move." Which is retarded, he couldve called and seen a flop in position, but whatever.
Overall the lesson to be learned is to not be a tag or a lag but to be whatever your table requires. If you are getting calls from hands like KT do not raise with hands like K9. If you get repopped most of the times you are raising wait for hands you plan on calling all ins with. You have to adjust to the type of play that is most optimal for your table, your stack, and your image. Yes, I do miss when I could take down more pots preflop and got more respect but whatever, I'm still making money I just have to showdown more...

It's funny you should mention AK vs KJ ape, that's one of the hands that broke me a few weeks back in my league game.

It sounds like in the hand you describe you were facing someone who was afraid of you, afraid to play a flop with you and just desperate for you to either fold or for the deck to bail them out.

<span>"</span><span>Overall the lesson to be learned is to not be a tag or a lag but to be whatever your table requires."</span>

It's been said before and will be said again, but I don't think we can hear this too much. Great post from Haleike as well, especially -- "Isn't poker fun?" I think we can loose track of this sometimes.

More importantly than the literal interpretation of the examples i provided in my article is this:

How many players do you know who from have a bounty on thier head 6/10 times they play a certain live game? I have had players which are not even at my 5/10 or 10/20 table tell the rest of the table they will give them 100 dollars if they bust me first. My exmaples in the article were not well thought out since they do not support the aforementioned claims, however, my followup article will undoubtably do a better job of displaying HOW able image hurts.

It is important to realize i obviously want a call from AK when i hold QQ on a 7 high flop, however it is vital to understand how difficult it is to succeed with you raise UTG with QQ and receieved 7 callers on a regular basis. The example provdided is in place simply to articluate the lack of respect i recieved at a table, which has been dtrimental to me when i have a large hand.

"It is important to realize i obviously want a call from AK when i hold QQ on a 7 high flop, however it is vital to understand how difficult it is to succeed with you raise UTG with QQ and receieved 7 callers on a regular basis. The example provdided is in place simply to articluate the lack of respect i recieved at a table, which has been dtrimental to me when i have a large hand."

You raised pre-flop 6xBB, if 7 people are calling you at that price, why not try 10xBB or more and reduce callers, I think you have to adjust to them as they have adjusted to you.

whoa now, there is no reason to attack anyone. You can disagree with someones opinion without being a jerk about it.

nevers red any o that but id like te think im niether or niether,,,,thats the game imo switch;}}}

half a cent worff;}}

This article made me dumberer. Why not get a respected cash game player to write something besides a few bad beat stories?