Let me introduce to all you beginners out there a very important aspect of poker called Table Image!
When playing at a table, other players will pay attention to the way you behave. Are you in every pot or just a small part of them? How do you play your hands? Although a big number of players will be busy with their own play, you have to bear in mind that the way you play has an effect on the way your contestants will play against you.
I’ll clarify to you the four most used playing styles that you come across playing poker.
- The Nit (ultra tight) : these are the people you barely notice at the table as they play nearly no hands. If they come into a pot, you know almost for certain they have a premium hand. Although this looks like a “good” way of playing (as you only play the best hands), there are defintely a couple of disadvantages. After all, you will be very predictable and because of this, get little action.
- The Calling Station (weak loose) : this is the kind of player with which it comes to a showdown almost every time he is in a pot. He will almost never bet himself, so the size of the pot depends on the others. Given that people are inclined to put a lot of money in the pot with a big hand, this image will not earn you very much.
- The Regular (tight agressive) : this are actually the people who play the ‘best’ poker. They are very good in their hand selection. They’ll have variation in the way they play their hands and earn a lot of money of inferior hands because the chance they have a worse hand than the one they imitate is bigger. Disadvantage of this style is that players who pay attention will try to avoid you.
- The Agressor/Maniac (loose agressive): these players are often the “Table Captains”. They will play a lot of pots with marginal hands, and they will play these very agressive. The disadvantage here is that in general you are holding a worse hand than your opponents, so you will have to have good reading skills if you don’t want to pay off you opponents every time. The advantage here is that your big hands will be paid off extra, which is always nice 
Later on I will explain to you what the best playing style is and how to obtain it.
For now, definitely check out this video which shows you some pro’s who explain to you how important it is to be aware of your table image.
