This excerpt is taken from “Winning Blue-Collar Hold’em” by Daniel L. Cox. Available at Amazon.com.

Downplay Your Ability

“It never hurts for potential opponents to think you’re more than a little stupid.”  - Poker Legend Amarillo Slim

It is not important for others to know your skill or experience level, especially when playing low-stakes ring games. It can be useful to provide a table image below your ability, downplaying your skill level or experience. You do not want opponents trying to play better against you so they can brag later that they took you down. Only those with frail egos need acknowledgment at the tables – winners prefer chips.

There are times when it may be advantageous to boast of your prowess if you can do it without sounding as if it is bragging, or if it is to a tournament table of novices. Sometimes new players may feel intimidated by your casino experience. It may be to your advantage to talk about your previous tournaments or to name drop any superstars you have played against. This is a tricky area, though, since another player may try to bust you with an inferior hand. Statistically, the worst suck out will win 5% of the time. The ‘know-it-all’ is a player easily beaten, since they have a tendency to go on tilt when given a bad beat. Think of Phil Hellmuth’s raging tantrums when you picture a know-it-all going over the edge.

You should never openly lie about your experience level. A player could hear you at another table or even another room if you are continually telling others you are new to the game. It will destroy any positive reputation you may develop. Simply keep your experience level to yourself. Hold’em is about information and the less information other players have about you the better.

Bite your Tongue

Knowing it all is the most exploitable weakness a player can have. - Pokerism

Another way to keep your experience level to yourself is to never openly analyze or criticize the good or bad plays around you. It is not your position to teach players how to beat you. Not only does it peg you as a player with experience and knowledge, it ultimately costs you money. In a ring game, as the weaker players learn from your critique, they do not repeat their mistakes. Therefore, you lose them as a source of income. You do not want to make inferior players feel bad about themselves or their play. They may just leave the table, taking chips that could have become yours with them. As stated before, the best way to win at poker is to play opponents that are not as skilled or knowledgeable as you are. As you move up table stakes to higher limit games, the skill levels even out.

Play the Part
To win at a low-stakes table you only need to capture a couple of big hands each hour. Most people visiting a casino are there to have fun. It is more fun to play in the hand than to sit back waiting for a good hand. These players have set aside a certain amount of money to gamble and usually play until they lose their stake. You can take advantage of these recreational players by waiting for a solid hand and cleaning them out. Since they are going to play a lot of “Any Card” poker, if you do not have a strong hand, the best move is to fold.

Another thing to do when at a table of recreational players is to develop a persona and then act it out. If you are going to the poker room to make money, you have to play the part. Every action you make from the time you sit down is a tell for the other players at the table. The way you look at your cards, play with your chips, blink your eyes, etc., it all says, “I am a poker player.” If you think about it, the biggest advantage professional players have when playing amateurs is the mystique of their personas. This is why a strong table image is important to cultivate. Being able to chip shuffle or do other chip tricks gives the impression of someone who has spent a lot of time at the tables.

This article is an excerpt taken from “Winning Blue-Collar Hold’em” by Daniel L. Cox. Available at Amazon.com.