You have probably heard the term style used in poker. Style is based on the idea that what works for one player may not work at all for another. There are many ways of playing that work for others but not for you. You likely attribute this difference to your style.
Well, style is a myth.
Style is just an excuse people use when they can't incorporate new tools into their game repertoire. A poker player might say, “Oh, that's not my style. Maybe it works for him, but definitely not for me.” I emphasize, you're not lying when you say that different game structures require different play. However, here we are discussing your ability to differentiate your game without even trying it.
What will happen if you just call with AA in a 3-bet instead of 4-betting? What will happen if you start min-raising everything preflop instead of calling? Or limp into every pot? What will happen if you start overbetting every river 1.5 times for value? What will happen if you start minimally 4-betting your opponents' 3-bets? If you don't know – admit to yourself that you don't know. Try it! Experiment! Style is nothing. Experimentation is everything.
Dare to clear the fog in your mind! This is the essence of creativity in poker. The best poker players I've met are those who are not afraid to take big risks. They are the ones who look suspiciously at every belief they have created in their minds until that belief proves it is worthy of being in their minds. They are endlessly curious and constantly push their limits.
Yes, they do stupid things, and often. But through constant risk and innovation, they find what works, while not taking anything “at face value” until they have proven it to themselves. Poker dogmas do not impress them. These players don't care that “they should have gone broke here” or that “the hand is uncallable.” The best players are those who handle uncallable and unthrowable hands not because they know they are right, but because they want to know if they are right.
And yes! To be such a player, sometimes you have to sacrifice part of your EV. You have to learn to accept that sometimes you will make terrible moves and lose huge pots. You will be insecure. You will find yourself in the realm of fear and uncertainty. But it's all to overcome that fear, to understand how things really work in poker after going through all that darkness. Only then, through creativity and risk-taking, will you touch the true structure of poker.
