PokerWorks

The best poker player in the world, Phil Ivey, recently wrote what I thought was the best article by the pros on Full Tilt. His advice was simple yet so important. He said in order to be the best poker player you can be, you have to be yourself. You can't play like Chris Ferguson, Doyle Brunson or Ivey (well, I can't). You have to play like yourself.

That's great advice. But do you know how you play? When someone asks you if you're aggressive, conservative or super aggressive, do you know the answer? Finding your style, as Ivey said, is incredibly important, but it's also tricky. Think about the great jazz players or the masters on guitar. It took them years to find a style that made them famous.

So what do you do?

I don't have the exact answer. I can't tell you what you're like as a player and guide you through the process. But I can give you a few tips that helped me find myself as a tight, conservative player who can be aggressive when I have a hand or when the time seems right.

• Play tight at first - If you can't play tight, you wont' be able to find yourself later on. Tight play is the foundation for all other types of play. So learn the top 20 percent of starting hands no matter what you're playing, and stick to those at first. Once you've got a good, basic understanding on how to play the game you're playing, you can figure out your game to beat that game. Game on!

• Ask yourself what you're like as a person - Are you the type who doesn't like to take chances? Here's a few suggestions from me that might help you determine your style. These are stereotypes, of course, and even though I'm conservative, not all of these apply to me.

You might like to play conservative if you:

- Have held the same job for more than ten years.
- Prefer not to draw attention to yourself in a crowd.
- Don't like wearing flashy clothing.
- Would much rather drive a sensible car.
- Don't like to play other table games when you're in Vegas.
- Are a patient person.

You might like to play more aggressively if you:

- Change jobs frequently.
- Get bored easily. You crave "action."
- You'd much rather go to a party than stay at home with a book.
- Are an impatient person.
- Don't mind talking in front of a crowd.
- Prefer to do risk-taking activities for fun.

Again, these aren't foolproof. I am a liberal, mountain-climbing introvert who doesn't mind speaking in front of a crowd. But I'm also conservative with my money, prefer to stay at home with a book than go to a party, and have held the same job for 14 years. It's more comfortable for me to play a tight-aggressive game. So that's what I do.

• Keep track of your hands - Maybe you can just write down your starting hands, what happened , what position you were in and whether you played it or folded. Then you can start to examine the possibilities in every hand. Had you raised on the flop, would the other player have folded his draw? Could you have pushed that person off a pot? You'll start to see chances for aggressive play and making moves. And maybe you'll want to start playing that way. So...

• Move down in levels when you're ready to experiment - You should do this for two reasons. One, of course is so you don't lose your bankroll dinking around making aggressive moves that don't feel natural to you yet. The second is so you'll actually have the courage to experiment. You won't make aggressive moves if you've got too much to lose.

You can't do this with play money. It has to mean something. But you could play with pennies and donk it up a bit. Try some moves. See what works for you. And have fun. You're well on your way to finding yourself.