Today’s Texas Holdem Strategy is about what sort of poker player (whether it be live poker or internet poker) you should respect during a hand of online poker or live poker. There is a poker strategy truth that states not all raises are created equal. Position and a poker players table image can affect how seriously somebody’s aggressive behavior should be taken.
A lot of people have made a lot of money playing online poker. This is because they have developed poker strategy, and specifically Texas Holdem strategy to deal with this environment. A lot of the folks playing in cyberspace are extremely loose players. When they raise, their actions don’t get a lot of respect because the sheer frequency with which they use the raise. The simple truth is that not every player has a winning hand every time; that is just how poker works. The more frequently a player raises, the less power those raises have because it will become clear very quickly that most of the aggression is happening when the player is holding a middling hand. Smart poker players at this point employ a Texas holdem strategy that involves challenging these raises. At that point the loose player’s poker strategy often becomes more desperate. To sell the bluff, they need to raise from an out of position seat or try all or nothing gambles, like going all-in. This is just a bad Texas holdem strategy. While a poker strategy that involves loose play will occasionally get paid off when they do have a good hand, it doesn’t blunt the financial effects of all the losses. This is why loose players are rarely successful with this poor poker strategy. Those looking for these sorts of fish can often find them in the lower limits playing online poker. They are less plentiful in live poker.
A raise from an online poker player or live poker player who has a tight table image is more likely to get respect from their opponents. Even if they have an inkling that the tighter player is bluffing, they may not want to risk the chips. This risk aversion is based less on the player’s cards, and more on their image. For players with drawing hands, or small pairs, it is easier to just fold the hand, and try again later then challenge the tight players raise and possibly get squashed. Tighter players seem more common in live poker then they are in online poker. While this may or may not be true, somebody who plays a TAG (Tight Aggressive Style) can clean up at some of the hyper-aggressive online poker rooms.
