Building Up a Table Image in Poker
The table image that poker players project to their opponents usually plays a big role on the player's success in poker. poker table image gives poker players edge against their opponents by showing off an image which is the opposite of their playing style.
Some believe that the poker table image of a player is related to poker psychology in the superficial sense. Poker players are able to basically manipulate their opponent's perception on their playing styles which takes them off track to make wrong hand play decisions.
A common misconception of players who have been playing against the same group of poker players for a long time already that building a poker table image is futile since their long time opponents know their playing style well.
Poker players can actually take advantage of the situation when their opponents would have believed they already know your playing style well that it will be unexpected if you suddenly play differently or build a different table image that will catch them unprepared.
In this sense what is meant by changing one's poker table image will mean to tighten what is commonly a loose game and to loosen what commonly is a tight game. In the general sense, when a poker player wants to play tight they need to call only a few hands and fold on bluffs. Playing many hands in order to stay in the pot will reflect a loose player.
Poker players can change their table image from being tight players to a loose one by lowering their playing requirements. This means calling a hand just a little weaker than what they used to call and to try bluffing a raise once in a while.
Poker players may not be used to this type of playing hands but they can succeed forcing opponents off the pot once they do not realize you are playing contrary from your table image to them. Such acts are untypical of a tight player hence you are able to manipulate opponents to make the wrong decisions which are mostly based from what they have perceived as your regular playing style.
On the contrary, loose players can also build a table image of playing tight by raising their play requirements. They should learn to play fewer hands and fold hands that are weak. This is a different table image you are projecting that is the opposite from what your opponents commonly perceived from you.
Poker players commonly make hand play decisions based on what they know about their opponent's playing style. A sudden switch of a player's table image can be an excellent tool to deceive opponents hence the basic rule will be obtaining a better chance of winning in poker by conveying a table image that is opposite to the real playing style of a poker player.