[SpeakEasy]

Mentioned this concept in another thread, and there was a request for more discussion, so I'll posts some thoughts here.

The name "Schooling Effect" has its origins from a school of fish. Fish often swim in packs in the ocean, and seemingly turn and flow together as a single mass. For a really interesting discussion about the behavior of schools of animals, like fish and birds, read "Prey" by Michael Crichton.

I read about the Schooling Effect as it relates to poker in one of my poker books, but I forget which one. From my experience the Schooling Effect can have two forms at the poker table.

First, if you are playing with a bunch of fish that play too many hands, while you are playing a tight-aggressive strategy, then the strength of your hand lowers in value because you are combating a bunch of junk hands that are more likely to catch lucky two-pair, straights, flushes, etc. The idea is that each of your opponents junk hands is a serious underdog to your strong starting hand, but if you face 5 junk hands every time you pick up KK, for example, you're much more likely to get beat by one of the junk hands that catches lucky.

Second, the Schooling Effect can take shape against a bully or overly aggressive player at your table. Say that someone is constantly raising with junk, talking a lot of smack, and generally pissing off everyone at the table. The table naturally starts gunning for the bully, in an effort to take him down. Especially if he amasses a big stack, because the perception is that he has not rightfully earned the chips. You become part of the school that has the bully as the target.

One player can drastically affect the play of an entire table. Ever played at a table where a wild player sits down, and suddenly the chips are flying based on his strong personality and affect on the table? The key to your play in this regard is to avoid steaming against this player if he cracks your aces, but rather stay solid and let the natural Schooling Effect of the table take the bully out of action. Also, you can take advantage of other players that are steaming as a result of the bully -- if everyone is lowering their starting hand requirements against the bully, chances are that this will have an overall negative effect on their play. Sit back, stay calm, monitor the play carefully, and take advantage of favorable situations when they arise.