Play your own game

TV has been a wonderful thing for the game of poker. It has given this great game of ours lots of exposure and brought many players to the game that otherwise never would have had any interest. TV has also allowed the game of poker to be show in it's true light most of the time. By that I mean that the image of the game has been somewhat misunderstood before people were able to see that poker is not played in smoke filled rooms with a bunch of bad guys holding guns. Those are things we should all be thankful for.

On the other hand, TV has also changed the game of poker and the player that play it. You do not want your game to be influenced in the wrong way by what you have seen on TV. Many of the earlier WPT tournaments showed the final table play with a structure that was so fast that it was an all-in fest. This led the viewers to believe that this is how the game is played until the structure changed in 2005. Even today the hyper-aggressive play of some of the players leads some to adopt a style that does not fit their game.

The point is that you never want to be influenced by any particular play or player to the point of losing who you are. Play to your own strengths and know your weaknesses and balance between the two. By doing so you will be much more consistent and comfortable in your own skin.