Your Poker Persona – Suit Of Armor?
I wonder what serious poker players expect to gain by hiding their faces behind huge shades, wearing hats covering unshaven faces, and generally appearing as sinister and menacing as possible. Do they think that will promote fewer tells, or does the bully act actually represent who they are? One thing is sure, they are oblivious to how their appearance affects those around them.
There has to be some reason for their intimidating, arrogant persona. They may be attempting to confuse and frighten their opponents, to keep them from challenging their play (and wallets). Or it may be they have taken on this image because they lack the wit to come up with any other. If you truly are a sinister intimidating bully, then this persona may work for you. Most who try to pull this off look like they themselves are scared and have gone into hiding.
If you have not carefully considered the actual benefits of your image, I am not sure how effective the bully persona finally is. Even if somewhat an effective deterrent – and it is likely to work on somebody; which, however, is not a guarantee of overall effectiveness – in the end it is most likely to attract the kind of opponents you would rather have avoided in the first place. It is like setting a decoy vulture, instead of a decoy duck, and attracting more unwanted vultures rather than the desired game.
It the first place, it may attract the rare professional player who is actually naturally moody and dark to an extent which may intimidate you. After a few such uncomfortable encounters you may find it difficult to get rid of these grim reapers who – with cynical glee – sense in you the weaker prey and grimly reap the rewards. Subsequent games might then grow unnecessarily complicated by your suspicions of how serious some of the sulky opponents at the table actually are.
If the sullen, serious type isn’t really you, you are spending way too much time on your phony image and not enough on your cards. It is almost impossible to play several rounds of poker with an impassive faade. While you do need a special poker persona to strategically manipulate situations to your advantage, it should be one that is comfortable for you, not one which takes a lot of concentration to maintain. Your concentration should be focused on reading your opponents personae and the cards that are dealt.
Though one is not advised to be fully natural in poker, one had better create an image which is the most natural to impersonate. A more “openly” social image may take some practice to maintain, but it will result in your greater enjoyment of the game and greater focus, since your mind will be busy doing what it more or less enjoys.
It takes too much concentration to hold on to a persona that is not at all natural to you. It’s like playing from a locked cage or straightjacket. Your focus will be scattered and your game will lack that robust quality.
So, big shades and big hats and appearing like a bandit with a fast draw only seems to require less effort than developing a persona that is closer to the true you. If you are a professional player, you will spend time observing yourself and envision the player you wish to become. In time you will be this player and have more luck at the table.
The author of this article plays online poker and gets Rakeback at Fat Bet Poker where they offer the highest Fat Bet Rakeback.
