Ever wondered what makes a poker player act the way they
do? We can all probably agree that personality is a big
factor, right. If you're hot headed, you are 'gonna be prone
to jump the gun, or perhaps go all-in at the least fortunate
time, and turn beet red. If you're like me and scared to lose money, you are
going to fold early on and use your bluffs sparingly (Ya I
know that makes me sound good, but I didn't mention the part
about having to bring an extra pair of underwear to change
out when...okay enough of that).
The poker player archetypes. Personality. Yes. But did
you ever stop to consider nationality? If you did, then keep
quiet and try not to take away my light. I think I'm on to
something here. Actually though, it was Everest Poker who
did some considerable research on this subject and
enlightened yours truly. Yep, that's right.
Everest Poker's European Event Coordinators have been
taking notes on players over the last six months, attempting
to draw a correlation between one's nationality and playing
style. And they were able to do so. The results might sound
surprising, but then again...
Using stereotypes to gauge your competition can be very
dangerous. In fact, it may very well not be a wise maneuver
at all. However, you have to admit there's something to
stereotypes. That's why they exist in the first place,
right?
While they may not work on any individual player,
especially in head's up play, I personally believe that
stereotype's can effectively be wielded when you first begin
to feel out other players at the table. Don't count on the
stereotype to prove itself true, but at least you have
something to weigh and compare your observations against.
You don't have to test the player, but you should definitely
be paying close attention and gauging their playing style.
To see the results of Everest Poker's stereotyping
affairs, see
Part 2 to this entry.
Originally published:
January,
2008 | Categories:
Online Poker
