Stereotypes and Prejudice

When we are playing poker, we often judge new players, or people we don't know, according to certain stereotypes. It is not just the average or even weak players who do this, but also the good players, and even the experts. We use these stereotypes when we know nothing about an opponent's play, his tendencies, his level of knowledge and/or experience, and so on. Examples of this type of thinking are as follows:

• Female players are often fairly tight in their starting requirements. They also tend to play their hands in a rather weak and passive manner.

• Players of specific ethnicity are usually loose/aggressive, and tend to disregard things like pot odds: Whenever they have a draw, they want to reach the river, almost regardless of the size of the pot.

• Men with tattoos and long hair, or who in other ways are explicit in the way they dress, are often explicit in the way they play, as well. While this may mean they play very aggressively, it usually means they are playing extremely tight.

• Young males tend to know all the odds and percentages, and put lots of emphasis on hand selection, but often are lacking when it comes to playing the players and having a "feel" for the game.

Now, it is important to realize that these things are generalizations, and say nothing of each individual player. However, with no other knowledge to rely on, it is perfectly acceptable to rely on this type of thinking; in fact, it would be very unwise not to. Unless we have other, more reliable, characteristics we can use, it is simply a percentage play to stereotype a new player according to the group he belongs to. So, if a player of a specific ethnicity we have never seen enters the game and immediately starts raising like there's no tomorrow, we would tend to rely on the stereotype/generalization thing above, rather than automatically give him credit for a big hand. At the same time, if a young woman player who's new to us puts in lots of bets early, we will usually fold all but the very best hands, because we assume she would not be raising without a very big hand. Of course, if we discover later that she doesn't fit her stereotype and likes to bet and raise with all kinds of hands, we will make the necessary strategy changes, and adjust our game to how this specific person plays, rather than how women – as a group – tend to play in general.

What was discussed above is how good players use general group behavior to their advantage when they encounter an unknown individual from that group. But it is important to realize that while a group in general may tend to behave in a certain pattern, this does not say anything about an individual person coming from that group. For instance, there are quite a few extremely good and highly aggressive female players around. So, when you hear people say something like, "Women can't play," you should know they have crossed the line from using general stereotypes in a beneficial manner to being prejudiced about that group as a whole. There is nothing to be gained from being prejudiced like this: It adds nothing to your knowledge of people, nor does it help improve your game. In fact, you would only be making a fool of yourself to claim something like this – most of all, because you would be clearly wrong.

The truth of the matter is that most good or excellent players almost never rely on stereotypes and generalizations exclusively when it comes to judging a new player's game. Usually, they will tend to "know" how the player plays by the way he talks, the way he handles his chips, his level of intensity, and a dozen other things. More often, they will use individual player characteristics (Does the player look at the action when he's not involved? Did he come in right after the button, and if not, why not? Does he seem familiar with the game and the betting patterns? What does his general body language tell you: Is he here to gamble or not?) in combination with the general characteristics of the group the player's part of – such as, for example, when a young male who looks like a computer wizard enters the game. Good players will combine these two types of information to make the best possible analysis – which is nothing more than an educated guess – of the way the person probably plays. If you don't use all of this general and individual information when making adjustments to a new player's probable style of play, you are missing out on an excellent opportunity to improve your game – and maximize your winnings.