Is it wrong to play like.......

[twizzybop]

Like Dan Harrington?? I will admit now that I play like him most of the times. When I do play very tight(aggresive when the need arises), that I do very well for myself. When I don't play like this is when I get myself into trouble. I have had the loose aggresive(maniacs) tell me that playing like rock et-cetra will get you nowhere. To me it is becoming my comfort zone and when I stray from it. I never do as well what so ever. I even loosened up my hands but not so much as to get to far away to where I feel comfortable.

I just want opinions is it really that wrong to adopt the same style or a close style to that of Dan Harrington??

I like and enjoy it cause siimple.. "I am winning"just by playing this way and when I don't play that way I lose definatly faster and much more losses happen.

 

[t1riel]

I play like that a lot. It gets me far but not far enough. You got to find the right time to bluff or agressively bet a hand every now and then. But, there is nothing wrong playing that way. Usually good players play tight but know when to be aggressive and bluff.

 

[drugsarebad]

It's wrong to play like Gus Hansen.

 

[Dorkus Malorkus]

It's wrong to play like Gus Hansen.

It's worked out pretty well for Gus Hansen.

Donks playing his style and not having a clue what they're doing are fun though.

Re: Original topic - just say "yeah, you have a point", then continue to play your way. Captain maniac has probably just got lucky or something and really doesn't know what he's doing.

 

[drugsarebad]

Actually, rumor has it that Gus is completely broke!

 

[twizzybop]

Yes but remember Gus Hansen is a respected and sometimes feared player that is why he can play the 10,2 anytime he wants. That is like any player in any sport, once you gain respect and fear. You know you are then on top of your game.

 

[drugsarebad]

Yes but remember Gus Hansen is a respected and sometimes feared player that is why he can play the 10,2 anytime he wants. That is like any player in any sport, once you gain respect and fear. You know you are then on top of your game.

But it's a losing style - he lost it all in the long run.

 

[Schatzdog]

I play quite a tight game and was wandering about what I was missing out on by being so tight. I got a bonus at one of the sites and dedicated it to trying out a looser game and trying a few things I have always thought would work well. I lost that pretty quickly but learned alot about my style and how I play the game. I think with being tight you really need to learn how to exploit that image at the table. Not justing playing premium stuff but bluffing and stealing at the right times is critical. Check out Negreanu's article posted by Tr1el.

 

[chicubs1616]

To answer the original question...

No, you can copy someone else's style, but if you think that you will ever play at the level Dan Harrington has over the last few decades, you are completely kidding yourself. You can definately model your game after his...there is no copyright on his style of play. He did write two books after all, it's not like people haven't been playing like him since the books were published...

 

[XXIII]

Playing Tight is fine for you. It seems to make you money and it will not lose you a lot of money in the long run.

Comfort is the most important in your own game

 

[t1riel]

I play quite a tight game and was wandering about what I was missing out on by being so tight. I got a bonus at one of the sites and dedicated it to trying out a looser game and trying a few things I have always thought would work well. I lost that pretty quickly but learned alot about my style and how I play the game. I think with being tight you really need to learn how to exploit that image at the table. Not justing playing premium stuff but bluffing and stealing at the right times is critical. Check out Negreanu's article posted by Tr1el.

Thanks for the mention!

 

[twizzybop]

To answer the original question...

No, you can copy someone else's style, but if you think that you will ever play at the level Dan Harrington has over the last few decades, you are completely kidding yourself. You can definately model your game after his...there is no copyright on his style of play. He did write two books after all, it's not like people haven't been playing like him since the books were published...

How so? You don't have to believe it.. but kidding myself to thinking that indeed I could play at the same level as Dan is not impossible. One needs to believe to succeed. Listening to you and believing what you say I won't succeed. Reminds me of the Parent who says to a child "You are worthless".

Nice try though at trying to crush someones spriit. Just be glad it isn't someone else that you said that to who probably may have some choice words.

 

[osirisdean]

the "best" way to play is the opposite of however the other people at your table are playing. if you are at a table of incredibly tight stiffs, open your game up and steal some pots. if you are playing at a table of gus-es, play conservative and wait for a monster to get paid off.

also keep in mind that dan harrington doesnt simply play "conservative" or "tight/aggressive;" rather, like any other professional worth his weight, he mixes up his game. specific to tournaments, he starts ultra-tight but towards the middle of the tourney opens up. by the end, he isn't nearly the "rock" he started the tournament as.

and as someone else said, reputation goes a long way in defining how people will react to your action. gus will likely get tons of action because he is considered a loose cannon, so his monsters will get paid off more frequently than dan's. dan, however, can get away with more bluffs because everyone thinks he only plays monsters.

 

[chicubs1616]

I meant no one on this site will ever be able to think and play exactly like Dan Harrington. Only several dozen people that have ever lived can say that they can play at that level succesfully over decades.

If I crushed any of your far-fetched dreams of poker super-stardom...o well, I don't really care...

I know I will never be THAT good, but that doesn't stop me from getting my game up to a level where I may one day play against some of the greats in a tournament. If your goal is the become the greatest poker player who ever lived...good for you, but setting unrealistic goals isn't the most practical thing to do.

 

[twizzybop]

If I crushed any of your far-fetched dreams of poker super-stardom...o well, I don't really care...

Then don't care.. remember that works both ways. I bit my tongue once and I will bite it again. Like I previously said you are lucky it isn't someone else.

I know I will never be THAT good, but that doesn't stop me from getting my game up to a level where I may one day play against some of the greats in a tournament. If your goal is the become the greatest poker player who ever lived...good for you, but setting unrealistic goals isn't the most practical thing to do. Contradicting yourself are you? You'll never be that good where you may play against some of the greats. If you'll never be that good then how would you expect to play against some of the greats?

Setting goals isn't unrealistic. Did that stop Einstien from being smart? Did that stop Edison from making the lightbulb? 1st man to run a mile in 4 minutes, people said it couldn't be done? Wright brothers made a plane.. Michael Jordan got cut from the basketball team in his younger days. That didn't stop him from being great. How about Rudy Ruddicker(hopefully I spelt his name correctly) made it to Notre Dame and played football there. May have been 1 game but he played. So many told him he wouldn't be able to do it and he did it. So why can't I set goals just like everyone else? Yes I may not get that goal but I sure as heck am going to have fun trying. Then while i am having fun trying I can also set other goals in particular. I reached 1 goal allready.. keeping emotions in tack after a bad loss and then bouncing back. Doesn't happen all the time with my emotions but I've been doing alot better as of recently. Reached another goal.. Note taking.. not alot of notes taking about others but they are notes non-the-less. I used to almost never take notes but they do come in handy at times.

So go ahead and don't care.. say "you'll never be this or you'll never be that". I don't have to believe anything you say.. I only have to believe in myself no matter what someoene else says or does.

So you gave an opinion which was more of a statement instead of opinion however I learnt another goal, take whatever you say like a grain of salt.

 

[chicubs1616]

I don't have to believe anything you say.. I only have to believe in myself no matter what someoene else says or does.

Good for you.

 

[xdmanx007]

the "best" way to play is the opposite of however the other people at your table are playing. if you are at a table of incredibly tight stiffs, open your game up and steal some pots. if you are playing at a table of gus-es, play conservative and wait for a monster to get paid off.

also keep in mind that dan harrington doesnt simply play "conservative" or "tight/aggressive;" rather, like any other professional worth his weight, he mixes up his game. specific to tournaments, he starts ultra-tight but towards the middle of the tourney opens up. by the end, he isn't nearly the "rock" he started the tournament as.

and as someone else said, reputation goes a long way in defining how people will react to your action. gus will likely get tons of action because he is considered a loose cannon, so his monsters will get paid off more frequently than dan's. dan, however, can get away with more bluffs because everyone thinks he only plays monsters.

Ummmmm kinda... but it is way too simple to say play the opposite of your opponents, actually tbh that statement is flawed in many ways. For the sake of simplicity you need to just play BETTER than your opponents. Success in poker is achieved by taking advantage of your opponents mistakes not just playing tighter looser or any other way. Generally speaking not always mind you but generally speaking you will be playing more tightly aggressive than your opponents. Tightening up or loosening up your starting hand requirements should be be tied into how large the blinds or antes are in relation to your chip stack.

 

[chickensuit]

hmmm lets see.

Dan Harrington is widely considered to be one of the best tournament players in the world...and you want to know if playing like him is wrong? I believe the term there is keep it simple stupid.

 

[Xandit]

I'm reading both of his books at the moment and I can tell you that he is looser than most people think. He belives in pot odds very heavly with very marginal hands. You can't pass up getting 6-1 on your call. He only advicates pushing marginal hands when the need arises, not before or after. it's about playing solid tight aggressive poker and making moves. He also plays the major tournement circuit, where you are at the same table with people for 6-8 hrs a day for up to 5 days. This allows him to exploit his image and make moves when he has to with marginal hands. This is very diffrent from a MTT with fast rising blinds and people dropping off and joining tables quickly. It is very hard to establish an image online. so your only choice is to play tight/aggressive poker early and make moves to stay ahead of the average chip stacks.

 

[Dingodaddy23]

theres a time to play tight and a time to place loose. Pick and choose your spots to make a play at a pot. Think of plays you made earlier in the game and how the betting pattern went, say you flat called the flop with a set then raised the turn before. If they are betting weakly (i.e. betting less on the turn than they did on the flop) you might raise here and u can probably take down the pot. Bet aggressively when other players are obviously on draws, especially the river chasers. I mean bet with any 2 cards and if by the river their draw hasnt obviously hit, bet the river too and watch them fold. Raise up people that min-bet, you should always try to make a play at the pot if the pot is big enough. This will give you more action when you actually do catch the nuts. One thing I always see people do is... all throughout a tournament they will C-bet... then when they catch a big hand like a set of aces or kings they'll check the flop, I mean come on now, you lead out the flop every time you preflop raise and now all the sudden you check? You gotta bet into these hands or any player worth his will smell you out. You have to always keep them guessing. Does he have an overpair this time or just 2 big cards? Did he catch the straight or hit his set? Chronic slowplayers are all too predictable. Slowplaying is bad and is NOT a way to consistently get your big hands paid off. I mean sure it has its place, A well placed check-raise here and there to throw your opponets off can be a good move. Just know your opponets. Check out which ones are always on draws, these are your chip banks. Bet each street in a heads up pot with them, (if you put them on a draw) you want to create a situation that is uncallable for them, thats the key. Another thing is I wont check to a 3rd card of a suit hitting, I'll still lead out and if i get raised than its time to think about it. Too many players respect the flush waaay too much. Just because 2 clubs are on the board your opponet has 2 clubs in his hand? Basically, you have to give action to get action.


On a sidenote, I've seen people LIMP from ALL positions today with AA on several occasions. They wont even re-raise just smooth call. They'll limp from the back with 4 ppl already in the pot. Just watch out for the check-raise all-in on the flop and dont call it if u cant beat an overpair. This is an observation from 5 and 10 sng's on party.

 

[medeiros13]

Before I start, I'll tell you that Harrington is absolutely my favorite player and I'd LOVE to play like him. Realistically though, the best advice I got was to find your OWN style that you're successful and comfortable with and go for it. The only problem that I've found with this style is when you're not getting cards, it can be tough to generate wins and cash. Now maybe that's just my playstyle working against me but that's my 2cents.

 

[ChuckTs]

well thats the thing - when all your opponents are seeing is you showdown AA AK AQ KK type hands, then they respect your raises. You get that super-tight image.
With this playing style, bluffing is much easier and effective. If you hit an extended cold streak, then that's where you start to mess with em and bluff alot.
Though i agree, medeiros - choose your own style. I started out poker by reading Doyle and his crazy, megalomaniac style and thought that was the only way to be a successful poker player. I then decided that a super tight style was best, and currently I just play a mix. I like to have a tight image at a table, but i will throw in the odd raise with 76s to mix it up and keep players guessing.

 

[medeiros13]

Chuck, you just hit my problem right on the head. I don't want to hijack this thread, but I have to ask you. How long did it take you to get comfortable with mixing up some bluffs once in awhile. Since I play exclusively at microtables, they almost never work because you can't bluff a bad player

 

[ChuckTs]

like you said, they really don't work against weak players or calling stations because they'll be inobservant enough to not notice when you're making a complicated play and call your bluff
i play a tight aggressive style, and therefore people usually respect my raises and continuation bets. If they don't respect them, i'll either punish them with a big hand, or just plain not bluff. (it takes an idiot to bluff into someone who they know will call them - Doyle B. SS2(?) )

Against a good (and observant) player, you have a bunch of tools and tricks to beat him with, because he'll notice that you check-raised with a pair on board or whatever. They'll fold more often to your bluffs and actually think about hands.
Against a poor (and inobservant) player, you have only one tool to use against them: your cards. They will generally call you down, especially if they've hit top or middle pair, and won't notice any tricks you put down. Just play what your cards give you.
I think that once you move up to .5/1 or maybe .25/.5 the bluffs and continuation bets start taking effect, but they're still ridiculously loose at those limits and many are still calling stations.

 

[keltelle]

play style

If you are doing well playing with a certain style, there should be NO ONE at all, not even a PRo to tell you any other way to play.
If your style resimbles someone elses play, that should be fine.
What ever it takes for you to win needs to be your style!
But try your best to change it up a little so its not that hard to pick up on.