Being table captain

Marcus Bateman / Marcus Bateman / 06 November 2009 / Leave a Comment

The term 'table captain' simply refers to a player who manages to make their presence felt much more than anyone else on the table.

Table presence is one of the most important features of poker, and establishing yourself as the 'table captain' can pay massive dividends if done correctly.

The term 'table captain' simply refers to a player who manages to make their presence felt much more than anyone else on the table. They tend to raise more often, make more moves, and generally instill fear into their opponents. Although typically the role is filled by a big stack, any player exerting total pressure on the table can assume the role, and understanding who is the captain and why is crucial to success in both cash games and tournaments.

Becoming table captain is well worth taking a few risks. Once you are in a position of dominance in poker (particularly in tournaments, where a big stack gives you huge advantages over your opponents), you tend to increase your ability to become dominant in the future, a sort of feed back loop, where success breeds more success.

A great example of this was the play of the late Stu Ungar. Renowned for staying in cash games until he went broke or bust everyone else at the table, Ungar showed clearly how powerful becoming table captain can be. He also illustrated one of the downsides of it - the risks needed to get to it can be considerable - hence how often he would go broke trying to get into a position of dominance - and there is a fine line between calculated risk taking and throwing money away.

Although strong players are usually a nightmare to deal with once established in their role as table leader, weak players trying to be table captains can be very profitable for a good player. As they are entering far too many pots, they can either be out played post flop or stolen from constantly pre flop as long as the right spots are picked. Any time a weak player is entering too many pots in poker is basically a license to print money, and situations where they try to become dominant forces nearly always end in tears.

Really try and establish yourself as a force to be reckoned with at the tables you sit at. The advantages can be massive, and being able to dominate the table can hugely increase your win rate. Conversely, if you spot a weak player trying to establish themselves as the force at the table, it is well worth taking them on whenever when possible, as the roles can very quickly reverse if you pick your spots well.

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