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Poker Strategy for Women: Using Your Table Image
Men and women have different brains--and therefore different ways of thinking and processing information. Women can better benefit from learning poker strategy for women! This article explores how women can use their table image to win. Written by Staci Marquez-Nichols, founder of Poker4Girls.Net. -------------------------------------------- Exploiting your table image is a key tool in any poker girl's tool belt! In Sherry Argov's book "Why Men Love Bitches," she explains how men are turned on by women who have power over them: "...the average run of the mill male fantasy he had growing up: it's always a woman who has power over him...the policewoman with the handcuffs. All of these women, in their own feminine way, have power over him and leave him at a disadvantage..." There are so many ways to take advantage of the male ego, it's hard to know where to start! The assumptions of your mostly male opponents can run the gamut--they may assume you are: - unskilled - not savvy about betting, bluffing, reading tells, slow playing, calculating odds, etc. - unknowledgeable about the game (not sure when it's your turn, how much to bet, if a flush beats a straight, etc.) - not capable of aggressive play, setting traps, or bullying - not interested in winning money, but just out for a good time - just playing to keep your boyfriend or husband company A lot of women players feel it isn't very "modern" to take advantage of these assumptions, that it may further negative stereotypes about women. On the contrary, taking advantage of the weaknesses of your opponents is what poker is all about...and making biased assumptions about you is their weakness! Take some more advice from "Why Men Love Bitches" and be "dumb like a fox." FIVE COMMON FEMALE POKER PERSONAS I propose that there are five common female styles of poker play: Passive-Aggressive: This player usually acts as a calling station because she thinks she's being aggressive by not folding when she should ("You're not going to push me around and get me off this pot!"). Her "aggressive" play tends to be reactive rather than proactive (i.e. calling instead of raising). When it comes time for the showdown after the river, this player will frequently look down at her hand and think, "Uh-oh! I don't have anything...why am I still in this hand?" In another passive attempt to be aggressive, she may make a big bet on the river to scare others off the pot...but no one buys it because she hasn't convinced them. Bully: This player may have a chip on her shoulder, thinking that she has something to prove at the table (and to her male opponents). She hates being beat by the men as much as a Neanderthal hates being beat by a woman. Typically, she is highly skilled at poker but may play with too much emotion. The bully tends to make realistic raises that others won't call because her opponents always think she's "up to something." She may get more action by projecting a softer, looser image. No Poker Face: This is the chatty player who openly says, "My hand sucks," "Can you beat middle pair," "I have trips if you want to call," and so on. She openly shows emotion and makes no effort to conceal her reaction to her pocket cards, the flop, an opponent's bet, etc. One great thing about the "no poker face" persona is that it is such a feminine image in a "man's world" that it can throw off others more than having the best poker face in the world. It's like showing up to the football game in a tutu! Ms. No-Poker-Face, like the Bully, is probably a skilled player. However, one of the first rules of poker is to vary your play. It's OK to play this way occasionally but not all the time. Grandma: This is a super-tight player who never bluffs. She makes a raise so infrequently that other players never call her. Grandma tends to play cash games instead of tournaments, and she is probably more concerned with having fun than kicking butt and making money. She is not a savvy player because she really doesn't like to "gamble." Lady Maverick: This title is professional poker player Vanessa Rousso's nickname. This title was chosen because Vanessa personifies this type of female player. A lady maverick is a masterful player who is confident, intelligent, and knowledgeable about the game. She plays with just the right amount of femininity and aggression. A lady maverick is a "knock out" not because she's beautiful but because she knocks out her opponents. For more on poker strategy for women, go to http://www.poker4girls.net.
From the Middle Ages to 21st century - the history of hum...
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