Dispatches from the Creation Wars

I had pocket jacks in the big blind and it came back to me unraised with 4 other players in the pot. I raise to $15 and got 3 callers (the small blind folded). Now usually I hate this position. Pocket jacks are a nightmare to play anyway, but far worse in early position. I was frankly just hoping to pick up the blinds and be done with it. In that situation with pocket jacks, you're really just praying for a small flop.

But the flop was better than that. It came 2 10 Jack with two clubs. I bet $20, the player to my left folds, but the third player raised another $50 and the 4th player called the $70. I went all in for another $90 and both players called (#3 only had about another $30 left though). They turned over pretty much what I expected - one had 10 Jack for two pair, the other had 5 9 of clubs for the flush draw. The flush didn't hit and I took down a huge pot.

But here's what happens when you're the stranger at the table and you turn over a big hand early on: you get respect. From that point on, the other players will assume you're strong if you make a raise and it opens up opportunities to bluff and steal pots (not to mention that winning a big pot like that early gives you ammunition to make those bluffs and not be too concerned if you get one picked off). The key, as always when bluffing, is to pick those opportunities wisely.

A couple other things I would note about being the stranger. First, you want to buy in for the table maximum. If the max buy in is $200, you want to buy in for $200. There's two reasons for this. First, if everyone else at the table bought in for that you don't want to be shortstacked and unable to defend against bullying from the bigger stacks. But the opposite is even better. If most of the other players at the table bought in for less and have smaller stacks, they'll think you're a big shooter if you sit down for the max buy in and they'll once again tend to show more respect for your raises.

This is especially true if you're playing outside of a casino. If you're playing in the local charity poker rooms we have all over Michigan, those rooms will tend to be full of players who don't have a lot of experience. A local charity room, especially in the smaller towns, is different from a casino. It's less daunting for the casual player and a lot of the players there are going to be guys who aren't very good but like to play poker with their buddies.

Most of the players in those rooms know each other and that makes the weak players feel comfortable playing there when they wouldn't have the courage to play in a casino poker room. And a lot of those players don't have a bankroll, so they'll just buy in for $50 or $60. They're playing on scared money. That, combined with the fact that they don't know you, means they tend to be easily intimidated.

The second thing I'll note is that the opposite can work well for you too. If you play aggressively when you first sit down and get a couple bluffs picked off, that can also work to your advantage more than it would in a game where everyone knows you. The key there is to play more conservatively than the table image you established early on, wait for strong hands and get paid off.

The key to all of this is the power of the first impression. When confronted by someone they don't know, the other players will try to size them up as quickly as possible. And once they've done so, they're much less likely to change that assessment. If you establish a tight, aggressive table image early on, it improves the value of your bluffs and allows you to steal more pots. If you establish a loose, aggressive table image early on, it allows you to get paid off on your strong hands because they'll assume you're still playing loose.

Either way, I like being the stranger at the table.