Image is everything. That's an old saying that applies to many things in life but is a key concept in poker games. Whether playing a tournament or cash game, how you present yourself can go a long way towards finding poker success.
Others can pick up a player's general personality and approach to the game, and this information can influence how they play against you.
This factor is essential in getting some critical calls and folds battling it out at the live and online poker tables.
Negreanu on a Loose, Casual Table Image
With decades in the game, Daniel Negreanu has seen everything in poker. He has racked up more than $54 million in live tournament winnings, including seven World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour titles.
This summer included taking down the $50,000 Poker Players Championship at the WSOP, one of the most coveted titles among pros, for $1.2 million.
In a recent appearance on the High Performance podcast, Negreanu offered some insight on how he uses his own table image as a cheerful, chatty player against opponents.
“My outward persona is a laughing hyena because I'm always just giggly, laughing like I don't know what's going on and stuff like that,” he says.
"But underneath, it's really a chameleon who's very adaptable and always able to change based on perception, right? I think the most important skill set is awareness – understanding how people perceive you, and then you can take advantage of them in that regard."
He said that players like Phil Ivey use a more serious approach to their table images. Ivey’s steely, stoic persona may keep opponents on edge.
He’s very quiet and deliberate with his movements at the table. Negreanu prefers a much different approach – a relaxed persona that keeps players putting in their chips.
“I want people casual,” he says. “I want people laughing. I want people to put their guard down. I want them to feel safe and comfy. Let's say I'm in a hand against you. I'm making a decision. I'll often start talking to the dealer and be like, ‘What did I do to myself? I'm so stupid. Why did I even think about that?
"But really, I'm looking at you the entire time while you giggle and laugh because you don't feel like I'm looking at you. I'm not one of those who's super intense and stares people down like this, like some.
“I want people to be disarmed and then use some charm in order to beat them so that when they leave, they laugh and they giggle, and they go, 'Hey, where are all my chips?'"
Solid and Stoic Table Image – Chris Moneymaker
Along with Ivey, Chris Moneymaker tried to look serious and solid during the final table of the 2003 WSOP Main Event. Moneymaker was an amateur who won his seat in the tournament via an online qualifier, and he had nothing to lose.
Those mirrored sunglasses hid his eyes from giving away information while creating poker history.
At the final table, his stoic approach translated into major aggression, which left opponents off-kilter and reeling.
“For the first part of the final table, I was on cruise control,” he notes in the book The Moneymaker Effect. “I didn’t play many pots; I didn’t want to get involved. My plan was to sit back and let other players eliminate themselves until it got short-handed.”
However, he later shifted gears and became what he referred to as “mini Stu Ungar.” His previous tight table image contrasted with a more active play that sent him pot after pot. Moneymaker’s strategy paid off, and he eventually made history and won $2.5 million.
“I don’t know what happened when we got three-handed,” he said. “I just started raising every single hand. I was just destroying them both with aggression.”
More Combative Table Image Approaches
Some other players may present differing approaches to table image. For example, Phil Hellmuth regularly brings his “poker brat” persona to the table. The 17-time WSOP bracelet winner is known for his rants, insults, and tantrums.
Phil Hellmuth
This in-your-face approach can be maddening for some opponents but can also get them off their game, benefitting Hellmuth in the process. A player on tilt because of Hellmuth’s antics may be more likely to make calls and raises based not on poker hand rankings or solid reads, but on emotion.
This loose approach to battling players like Hellmuth can cost them chips in the process.
“When my blood starts to boil, after losing a meaningful pot, it doesn’t make sense, on so many levels, and yet there it is,” Hellmuth wrote of his meltdowns at the table in his autobiography Poker Brat.
“Consciously, I know that I should not let one bad pot, one bad hour, or one bad day affect me so deeply emotionally. Consciously, I know that I shouldn’t berate other players for their winning play or complain about how unlucky I was to lose a pot.”
Will Kassouf
English player Will Kassouf has a similar strategy—he refers to his approach to the game as “speech play.” That poker term was fitting, as his mouth was constantly moving during the 2016 WSOP Main Event.
During his journey to a 17th-place finish for $338,000, Kassouf’s constant talk, needling of opponents, and slow play frustrated both players and viewers. Kassouf said his style was gamesmanship to keep opponents on edge, leading to their mistakes.
“Just look at your cards in advance,” Cliff Josephy told him in a frustrating situation during the Main Event. “We don’t need the clown show.”
Kassouf’s table image undoubtedly could be annoying. It sometimes got opponents off their game, such as when he ran a massive bluff with 9-high to get a player with pocket queens to fold.
Jamie Gold
While much less abrasive than Kassouf, Jamie Gold used some of his own speech play and gamesmanship to win the 2006 WSOP Main Event for $12 million. He had a knack for coaxing opponents into calling or folding throughout the tournament.
Gold seemingly had the magic touch, getting opponents to call against his strong hands and fold against his weak ones. This strategy became a regular part of his, throwing opponents for a loop. They could never determine whether he was bluffing or had the goods.
The table talk also often elicited a reaction from opponents that Gold could read to adjust his play—raising when they looked weak or folding when they seemed strong.
As we would say in poker lingo – “know when to hold’em, know when to fold’em.”
Importance of Table Image in Poker - Conclusion
Using your table image can be to your advantage. Learning insight and self-awareness about how other players perceive you as a player presents opportunities.
- If you favour a tighter style, players may give you more credit when betting big or raising. Mix in a bluff here, and you could see more pots heading your way.
- On the other hand, if you play more hands and are a bit looser, opponents may not be able to predict what you might have. That perception can pay off when you have the nuts.
Using your table image should be a significant weapon in every poker player’s arsenal.
