It is very easy to become typecast in poker in that you become known for playing a certain style and only play that way regardless of the conditions you face. Not only is playing like this boring it actually leaves you open to attack from those who are observant, thinking poker players.

I have been guilty of playing a robotic style in the past, mainly because I used to play so many tables that all I could focus on was playing the stack sizes and position at the table instead of making specific plays against my opponents. As mentioned, this is a poor way to approach the game because the more observant players will suck you in, chew you up and spit you back out again.

If your opponents can read you easily then they make less mistakes and we make most of our profit from the mistakes of our opponents. But if you keep them on their toes, keep them guessing then there is a greater chance they will slip up and make a mistake, which is a great result for you.

To keep them second guessing you need to mix up your play, take some unconventional lines and think outside of the box. Instead of automatically four-betting all in when you have aces you can sometimes smooth-call the three-bet. Instead of check-calling on the flop and turn when you have a flush or straight raw come out betting and even check-raising to disguise you hand. Instead of raising 3.5 times the big blind throw in a min-raise with your entire range, anything to make your opponents wonder what holding you might have.

Whilst you can get away with playing like a robot against a large percentage of players, especially at low stakes, once you come up against thinking winning players you need to throw in a few curve balls in order to extract the maximum value from your hands.