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What Kind of Poker Player are You?
(July 28, 2005)
If you have been playing poker for a while, you’ll certainly recognize different styles of play. It is widely accepted that there are four types of players, and once you are able to recognize these styles and place your opponents into one of the groups, it will help improve your game significantly. What follows is a cursory definition of the different types of poker players that you are likely to come across. When playing online poker, it helps to collect as much information about your opponents and decide what type of player you are up against, and alter your betting accordingly. But remember the boundaries of the different types of poker players are not clearly defined and the best pokers players can change their style of play very quickly to mislead the rest of the table.
Types of Players:
Tight-Passive
A tight-passive player will play very cautiously. Generally, this type of player is suited to limit Texas Holdem poker games. He will rarely take any sort of risk on a hand. If a tight-passive player calls your raise, you had better be confident that your hand is a strong one. If you discover that your opponents are tight-passive you can act this way: raise at the flop and pre-flop. Then observe their behaviour: if they bet a large amount, fold because they almost certainly have a good hand.
Loose-Passive
Also known as “calling stations”, loose-passive players will call any bet you place and it’s generally best to avoid bluffing this type of player. Also, they will very seldom fold once they have seen the flop.
Tight-Aggressive
Occasional bluffers, tight-aggressive players play only good hands and you can be sure that as soon as they have acquired a good hand they will wager aggressively for large sums. This type of player has the ability to put a major dent in your bankroll, so be careful when you spot one of them. Tight-aggressive play not every hand but if they do, they do it aggressively. The best poker theorists recommend this tactic.
Loose-Aggressive
The loose-aggressive player style is the most versatile, and thus applies to most of the successful players in the world. Their flexibility enables them to move back and forth between a number of styles. They can mix up aggressive and passive technique in order to keep their opponent guessing. Due to this variability it is very difficult to read their hands. Generally, these are the high-rollers of Texas Holdem.
So there you have it - the four different types of player. “What now?” you may be asking yourself? First of all, we’d recommend determining into which category you fall as a player. Then with this knowledge, see if you can spot the different types of player and classify your opponents accordingly. The ability to profile your opponents in the hope of identifying their strategy and poker tendencies will no doubt give you an advantage at any table.
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