Playing Against the Grain
A very common bit of poker advice is to play opposite of they way your table is playing. We call that playing against the grain and it is a very good strategy for a poker player. If you table is playing aggressive than you play tight, but if they table is full of rocks than you go loose and open up your game. The reason is quite simple. If the table is throwing around chips like a bunch of maniacs, you can get caught in the melee and lose everything, however, if you hold off until you have a premium hand or a great draw, you can take down a huge pot because the overly aggressive table will overlook your tight play.
On the other side of the equation, when your table is so tight that no one is taking any risks, then you step out and start stealing the blinds and bluffing players off their draws. If the table is going to let you run them over then it is your responsibility to do just that.
Of course, this all points to the another poker axiom: the toughest table is a table full of good players who are all changing up their games every deal. When everyone is paying attention you have a tough table, but until they do: Play against the grain.
-this is Beginner’s Poker Blog Post #197
