As the biggest annual event in the poker calendar, the WSOP is viewed by millions worldwide. Can watching the events at WSOP change your own playstyle? Certainly, one of the best ways to learn and hone your game skill at poker is to observe others playing; and who better to learn from that than the top players in the world? But can observing these professionals actually influence the style in which you play the game?
Style of poker play
Whether you’re an experienced player or a complete beginner, you’ll know that there are different styles of playing poker. In Texas Hold ‘Em, these playing types are determined by the range of starting hands that the individual plays pre-flop and how aggressively they play them post-flop.
Most professional players you’ll observe at the WSOP have an aggressive style, which suggests that this is the most effective strategy. Record-breaking WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, for instance, is well-known for his TAG strategy in tournaments, whilst six-time bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu is a hyper-aggressive player.
By watching the top players at the WSOP, you’ll observe that they tend to be consistent and apply the same winning strategy at every hand and every session, regardless of their latest results. This is why it’s important to be consistent in your style, regardless of whether you’re playing at a casino or online at a gaming platform like GGPoker. Once you establish a poker playing style and strategy, it’s wise to apply it to all games in order to hone your skill.
Gaining confidence
Watching the WSOP can give you confidence in your own style of play. Though you might never be a player who reaches this level of tournament, it can still give you inspiration that you can draw from for future games.
Stepping up from games with friends can be a difficult change to manage, so you need to make sure that you have confidence in your own abilities. Watching the pros play and identifying similarities between their styles and yours can be massive boosters that could help you tackle any game you face with renewed confidence.
WSOP live versus poker TV
The events at the WSOP are streamed live, which makes for a completely different viewing experience than regular poker TV channels. Generally, poker games on television have been edited for entertainment value and are therefore more likely to be shorter and include mainly the highlights. This can affect your own playstyle because you come to expect the game to move faster and be more eventful. Be careful about doing this though because it means you’re basing your expectations on something that’s unrealistic. While watching whole games at WSOP live might be more drawn-out, you’ll get to see the game for real; therefore, you’ll have a much better understanding of the game and be better equipped to accordingly adapt your own play style.
Adopting the tells
You can learn from observing the tells of the world’s top players and then use that knowledge to change your style of play accordingly. Watch how the pros bluff and conceal their tells and consider applying that to your own games. While tells are much more challenging to observe in professional players, they still exist, so you should take the time to carefully scrutinise the body language. Watch – and re-watch – as many of the WSOP events as you can and make a note of how the players behave in the few seconds before, during, and after the winning hand is announced.
Conclusion
Watching the WSOP can change your play style if you take note of the professionals’ strategies and tells, and apply it to your own game. You’ll also get a more realistic view of poker from watching live events rather than television highlights, which will also help you to hone your own skill.
