I'm not sure if this is a beginners lesson or not, but it is probably the single most important aspect of poker and something that beginners should at least be aware of in concept. Identity in poker is sort of like your invisible name tag that everyone can see. Sounds confusing doesn't it? Well, that's the whole idea. When you think of famous identities, there are several that come to mind. My favorite one is "Bond, James Bond" or simply 007. I love the scenes in Bond movies where he is using an alias, or sometimes even using his own name but with a fake story like he is posing as an art critic or banker, as opposed to his true identity of being a secret agent and spy. Usually, in a crowd of hundreds of people at a black tie event, there are only a couple of characters in the movie who can identify Bond for who he really is. Poker is much the same. No matter what your true identity is, when you sit in a game of poker with strangers or friends alike, each person either knowingly or subconsciously assigns you an identity. Like anywhere else, your identity in poker depends on what you look like, how you act, and what you say. Also, in poker, how you play your cards gives you an identity, too, and often times your identity in the minds of other players will be far from reality. The key to winning at poker, especially in live games where you can sit with and see the other players, is understanding that sense of identity and how to use it to your advantage. This is still true in internet poker, but to a much lesser extent. The first things to be aware of are the stereotypes that people might be assigning to you as a person and poker player. These are things you're stuck with like your age, race, gender, and nationality. How you are groomed and dressed makes a huge impression, too, so always look at yourself in the mirror before playing and judge yourself as others will. Other things like whether or not you have been drinking and/or are drunk make a big impression also. As for poker specific identity, there are many other things that define your identity to the other players. These are things like your chip stack size, the amount of money you bought into the game for, whether you're winning, losing, breaking even, whining, a calling station, a bluffer, playing tight or loose, aggressive or passive, lucky or unlucky, and your level of perceived skill and experience. Also, how often, if ever, you have played with the current players at your table determines your identity. Also, never confuse the term regular player to mean good player, and don't think that just because someone is a new player (or just new to you) that they are automatically a poor player. Many times, regular players are regular losers, especially in casino poker rooms and even in the higher limit games. Some people just have money to burn, and choose to continue playing poker even when they are regular losers at the location and levels they play. I could write an entire book on this subject, but for now, I'll leave you with a basic example of how to use your identity to your advantage in a game of poker. Let's say you are a knowledgeable player and are usually very tight in your selection of cards to play and when to bet heavy. You have been sitting in a game for a couple hours with all or mostly all of the same people. You can tell that these people are labeling you as a tight player, so they are folding when you bet. You haven't played a hand in a while, and you look around at the other players as they check their cards, and no one looks very excited. You look at your cards and you have a junk hand like 9-4 offsuit. If you immediately fold, you lose nothing and continue your regular pattern of playing tight. If you selectively use your identity here, though, you might pick up some money without having to show your cards at all. Raise and look as if you're trying to hide that you have a good hand by looking away from your opponents or downward at the table, not staring them down (usually an obvious sign of a bluff). If you get callers, wait for the scariest moment you can find, usually the turn, to start really blasting away by checking and raising. At that point, based on the other players' perception of your identity (a very tight player), they most likely won't be able to call. The opposite works when you are a generally loose player and have established your identity at the table, and then when you do have a really good hand, people will call you, so don't worry about raising. You're now like the little boy who cried wolf; you won't scare anyone off after several false alarms. That is just some basic stuff really, but definitely something you should be aware of when you play poker. Internet poker identity is both less complex and more based on how you bet in the short term, but it is still important. This is one major reason that internet poker is better for beginners and more popular with them. Somehow, wearing a tuxedo, carrying a silenced handgun, and ordering a vodka martini shaken, not stirred, doesn't make the same impression over the internet as it would in a live game of poker. If anybody wants to try that in a live game, please let me know how it turns out for you. Maybe you'll wind up with all of the chips and a girl named Pussygalore?

Source: Poker In The Hole