More than one way to skin a cat

Marcus Bateman / Marcus Bateman / 25 September 2009 / Leave a Comment

Although there are themes, basic psychological ploys, and areas where game theory can help us decide on optimum strategies, mostly it is a game of people and adapting to people.

Many players encounter poker and think that there is one clear winning style, and attempt to attain it. They reason that because there are very good poker players, that there must be a certain key way play that they need to learn. The reality of poker though is that there is no one clear strategy, and finding a style that suits you is crucial to becoming a winning player.

A good example of this effect comes from Formula One racing. In a Formula One race, different teams adopt different refueling policies. A car that carries a lot of fuel will go slower, but will only have to stop in the pits once; where as a car with less fuel will go a lot faster, but will have to stop more than once. In the hands of good drivers, both strategies may prove equally effective, and despite taking totally different routes to the finish, the overall winning time of both drivers may well be very similar.

This is true in poker, where a good player playing very few hands may well make just as much money as a good loose aggressive player who is involved in twice as many pots. Two polar opposite styles can be equally effective in poker, and there is no one, clear way to play well. The important aspect of deciding on playing styles is to fully understand the implications of that strategy.

Good tight players have to be skilled at generating action through the odd piece of subtle advertising; good loose aggressive players have to be able to get away from good hands when they are being trapped; both styles have to be able to change gears if the table conditions deem it right. The exact style being played is largely irrelevant, what is crucial is that you as a player feel comfortable and confident playing it, and that you have a solid knowledge of the nuances of the style you adopt.

There is no one coherent strategy in poker. Although there are themes, basic psychological ploys, and areas where game theory can help us decide on optimum strategies, mostly it is a game of people and adapting to people. As a result, your own personal style can pretty much be anything, as long as you pull it off well. There are many great players out there who you should look to emulate and learn from, but ultimately you have to find a style that you enjoy playing and works, and that will end up being basically completely unique to you.