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Changing pace is a good poker strategy for shorthanded games against good poker players (inexperienced and weak players won’t notice). Good opponents will be able to identify you as a certain type of player (e.g., tight-aggressive, loose-aggressive) after playing against you for a certain period of time. A good way to foil their read is to change your style of play and poker betting strategies throughout the game. If you are expected to bluff often, stop bluffing for a while, and you will get called more often. If you tend to be a tight player, bluff at some pots and you will be able to win them more often than not. Of course, you have to make sure that you are not being obvious in your change of pace.
Changing pace is a much more useful strategy in No-Limit Poker due to the size of the pots. Bluffing is much easier to do, so when you are playing for a large pot where you just called at the flop, you can make a strong bluff at the turn to steal the pot. Also, you can bet hard at the flop, and then tighten up on the turn to confuse your opponents.
The true success in changing pace occurs when your opponent plays you according to one style (e.g., tight) but you start playing a different style (e.g., loose). According to game theory, you will achieve a certain level of success when you play a certain style and your opponent does not expect it, and a different level of success when they do expect it (and change their style of play accordingly).
Consider the following earning levels when you alternate between loose-aggressive and tight-aggressive play: |
