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Winning through the Years
2009-01-02 03:33:34
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 David Williams |
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Howard Lederer. Daniel Negreanu. Hoyt Corkins. Gus Hansen. When poker boomed, these four players found great success using four completely different, and yet highly effective, styles of play. Howard played a tight aggressive style that heavily involved math in his decision making. Daniel played what some refer to as a weak passive style of play, cautiously playing the smallest pots possible unless he found himself sitting on the nuts. Hoyt played an aggressive preflop style that put pressure on his opponents by forcing them to play for all their chips or fold. Gus was known as poker's resident maniac, seemingly playing any two cards, in any position, at anytime. Fast forward to 2008; Howard, Daniel, Hoyt and Gus all had major final table tournament appearances nearly 5 years after their breakout years. They kept their style of play relevant and effective enough that 5 years later, with the influx of Internet pros and the improved play from amateurs, they are still closers in big events. This proves that poker can be played in many different ways, and not one of them is necessarily wrong or right. One reason these players have been successful is that they haven't changed what works for them, and they adapt to the new trends in play around them. They are still students of the game. Gus Hansen is still very aggressive, yet he now has added a gear that allows him to fold a couple of hands and sit back long enough to pick up a hand favored over an opponents, yet short enough that the table still thinks he is playing trash every hand. He's now a controlled aggressor, and controlled aggression with a loose image makes for a lot of donations. Daniel still plays small pots, but he's altered his play a bit to make the pots slightly smaller than he used to, offsetting his losses when an aggressive internet pro uses their common 3 or 4 bet, making it an easy fold or the right price for him to call. He also isn't afraid to float a flop if the situation dictates that he might be able to take the pot away on a later street. Howard is still tight, but still aggressive, and his real skill lies in knowing when to build a pot versus when to take a free card. Hoyt still puts the ultimate amount of pressure on his opponents, yet sees a few more flops in an attempt to use his reading ability to determine when to put the heat on his opponents. So what do we take from these players varying styles and use it to improve our own individual game? We should evaluate our style and how we are comfortable playing and then sprinkle in the plays and short term strategies that best fit our mold as a player. While deconstructing my game, I realized that I play a mixture of small ball with pressure. Different than the way Daniel or Phil Hellmuth plays small ball consistently, I play little pots, but I am not worried about putting all my chips in with nothing against an opponent who I read as willing to fold to a decision for all his chips. I don't know if this is right or wrong, but it's important to mention for the purposes of knowing my limits as a player. I am not one to call off chips or call an all in with two random cards because the math says I should, like Gus might be more apt to do. When I have chips I tend to shift into hyper-aggressive mode, and when I'm short, I tend to look for a decent hand quick, so that I can get back in action or go home early, because I hate the short stack. Daniel will limp in on the button with 15 or less big blinds. That is a play that I would normally never do, but after seeing how it worked for him on the road to winning his fourth bracelet this summer, and how it kept him in contention for the WSOP Europe title this year, I think it's something I am going to be more open to in future tournaments. I've never been a habitual 3 or 4 bettor like Tom "durrr" Dwan or some of the ultra aggressive online guys, but I think there is some merit to trying it against more conservative opponents in a live deep stack event. The key to improving and moving forward is always openly and honestly re-evaluating your game, and using that to make changes that will yield better results in future tournaments. Poker is a life-long game that evens out in the end, but it's the way you play today versus tomorrow versus a year from now that determines whether you get the most out of your own personal game. |
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To Post a Comment!
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pokerboywonder Says:
Have you considered writing a poker book? This article was so eloquently written, you may have found another gift.
Posted On: 2010-02-12 18:33:23
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Cary Says:
Great article. I wish my mom played poker :P
Posted On: 2009-02-23 11:11:19
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PokerMama Says:
Great article. I have often been made fun of for being "weak tight" (most often from you...lol). However the more I read and the more moves I try to make the worse my results are. I need to go back to my "roots" and try to adapt a few things here and there instead of trying to change my entire approach. This article helped me to see that.
Thanks,
Mom
Posted On: 2009-01-03 00:18:46
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theoldman999 Says:
Good article David, there is more than one way to skin a cat...the key is to find the one that best suits you and cultivate. Thanks
Posted On: 2009-01-02 16:15:06
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hokumfool Says:
Great read Mr. Williams. You squirted some oil on these rusty stiff gears and cogs between my ears. Thanks.
Posted On: 2009-01-02 12:19:29
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