Taking Advantage of your Opponents Tendencies
TAKE WHAT THEY GIVE YOU
by: Lou Krieger©
Gems of wisdom often pop up in the most unlikely places - even
clichés. Football coaches, quite possibly the singularly
most cliché-ridden group you could ever hope to find - or
hope to avoid, for that matter - can't seem to bypass an opportunity
to tell TV audiences that they won "...because we took what
the defense gave us." With the possible exception of "...we're
gonna play 'em one game at a time," it's hard to think of a
more trite phrase.
Nevertheless, there's plenty of truth left in that old saw. While
Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers might have been famous for running
their plays - never mind that opponents knew what was coming next,
they just couldn't stop them - today's football teams, with their
sophisticated "west coast offenses," are much more likely
to read the defense and adjust the thrust of their offense to "...hit
'em where they ain't."
Football teams that are much better than their opponents can simply
overpower them. You see that in college games all the time. But
in the pros, where skill levels are more closely matched, teams
usually try to make the most out of what the defense offers.
But what about poker? Can you simply overpower weaker opponents,
or should you take what the defense offers by taking advantage
of your opponents tendencies, rather than trying to impose
your style on your opponent, regardless of how he plays?
Many poker players opt for the Vince Lombardi style of play. When
facing a timid opponent who throws away a lot of hands, they raise
a lot. When they're up against a calling station who's bound and
determined to keep them honest, they still raise a lot. Some players
are so single-minded and determined, that they firmly believe the
power of their conviction can force opponents to their knees - despite
the cards they might be holding
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In physically oriented sports that single-minded sense of purpose
can be compelling. And when it works, everyone concerned is aware
they have witnessed a powerful, lasting, and memorable moment. Mark
Messier, in game six of the 1994 Stanley Cup semi-finals, with his
New York Rangers down three games to two in a best-of-seven series
against the New Jersey Devils, guaranteed victory at a press conference
the day before game six. The Devils, apparently undeterred by Messier's
brash promise, jumped out to a 2-0 lead. But Messier, with a superhuman
effort, skated rings around the Devils in the third period, garnered
a hat trick while staving off elimination, and New York tied the
series at three games apiece. The Rangers - buoyed by Messier's
ability to deliver a clutch performance every bit as mesmerizing
as Babe Ruth's must have been when he pointed to the right-centerfield
stands in the World Series, then delivered a resounding home run
to that very area - went on to eliminate the Devils in game seven,
then beat the Vancouver Canucks in the finals to capture the Stanley
Cup for the first time in five decades.
Mark Messier is a charismatic hockey player, a true superstar with
transcendent skills and an uncompromising will to win, who lead
the Rangers to victory by simply refusing to lose, and carrying
the team to victory on his back. The strength of his refusal to
lose was simply greater than the collective will to win exhibited
by the entire New Jersey Devils team.
While Messier's performance was a sports moment for the ages, you
simply can't do that sort of thing at the poker table, especially
when it's limit poker. No matter how much you want to win, regardless
of the strength of your will, discipline, or desire, if you're not
holding cards and your opponents are, they will beat you.
You can't bull them into submission as Messier did. No matter how
forcefully you bet or how skilled a player you might be, regardless
of the strength of your personality at the table, all an opponent
has to do is quietly call - and if he's holding a stronger hand
he'll capture the pot.
Poker, unlike hockey, football, baseball, basketball or golf, has
an uncontrollable element associated with it: the luck of the draw.
And if you are so single-minded that you refuse to acknowledge the
reality of the power conveyed by the cards in your hand - or your
opponent's - it's a major problem. Yet players do this all the time.
Many overly aggressive players are notoriously insensitive to the
cards they hold. After all, isn't that what playing hunches is all
about? Haven't you seen some players so thoroughly convinced they'll
make their inside straight, that they'll call a bet - or a raise
- when the money in the pot doesn't even come close to offsetting
the odds against making that kind of draw?
Many hold'em players persist in pushing hands like A-K when the
flop hasn't helped them and it's apparent that it was a big help
to their opponent. A will to win, carried to unhealthy extremes
with hands players believe ought to win, frequently causes them
to deny the essential reality of the situation: When holding a better
hand, your opponent is usually going to call.
While aggressive play is a requirement for winning poker, selectively
is equally important. Poker, after all, is more akin to judo than
football. Success demands using your opponent's strengths to your
own advantage. Rather than colliding violently against them, you're
usually better off lithely tipping them in the direction you'd prefer
them to go. If your opponent is pushing mediocre hands, let him
keep pushing. Then snap him off when you've got a better one. If
he's timid, you can bet more frequently for value because it provides
two ways to win: You may have the better hand, or your opponent
might just fold.
The key to taking what the defense gives you lies in being brutally
honest and realistic about your own hand - as well as assessing
how it stacks up against your opponent's. Much as you'd like to,
you'll seldom be able to spin straw into gold at the poker table
regardless of how determined you might be. Adopting a petulant,
I-want-it-now, I-deserve-it, I-must-have-it, it-belongs-to-me, attitude
may work some of the time for spoiled two-year old children - but
at the poker table a heavy dose of reality, liberally seasoned with
some of that "take-what-the-defense-gives-you" bromide,
stands a far better chance of getting the money.
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