Tips For Online Poker
Image Fatigue

Tips For Online Poker - Image Fatigue: I define image fatigue as a state where your opponents are less likely to behave in ways you want them to. Image fatigue can reduce or completely eliminate your edge in a game.

It can simply be caused by playing a lot with the same players in a short period of time. The more times they observe you doing what you do, the more likely they are to respond appropriately. Likewise you'll respond better against them as well. But if you're a good player, you should be able to stereotype them a LOT quicker than they do you, because you have more experience, you use a HUD, you aren't too lazy to take meaningful notes, etc. So you'll usually jump out to an information edge on most of your foes. But this edge will often erode. This is why it's important not to unnecessarily draw attention to yourself.

Getting caught pushing garbage is a sure way to accelerate the process of image fatigue. If you get to a point in a session where you've gotten caught several times, you may have painted yourself into corner as far as your image goes. The reason is that in a Sit-N-Go (especially a super turbo) you really can't adjust to compensate for your image. You have to push garbage to survive!

In a cash game if you get caught bluffing a lot in a short period of time, you can adjust by making sure to have a real hand the next time you make a move. But in SNGs, you often don't have that luxury. When you're suffering image fatigue in a SNG, you have to keep pushing and now you're a sitting duck. You are going to get called more often and (on average) that's really bad for you. Fold equity is the life blood of a winning SNG player. Image fatigue kills your fold equity.

Players may even start making spite calls against you - calls that hurt both them and you (on average). And you definitely don't want to be suffering image fatigue on the bubble. That is like being neutered.

So you want to have a tight pushing image, but when you start getting caught too often, take a break, let the heat die down and give your opponents a little time to forget.

Tips For Online Poker #2 - Keep changing your avatar if you play on Full Tilt. This will help throw a few of the fish off on reading you in the future.

If you play on multiple sites, switch to the other site for a while if you're not ready for a break. At the other site, you'll have a fresh image.

If you only play on one site and you are experiencing image fatigue, stop and review your recent hands in SNG Wizard. Even a 30-minute break can help repair your image simply by allowing some of the other players to finish their sessions. Of course, the longer the break the more image repair will take place.

Also, it can be a good idea change the time of day that you play every so often. This will allow you to tackle a mostly new group of players with a fresh image.

End: Tips For Online Poker - Image Fatigue

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