5 Types of Poker Players
It’s very important to know the rules and strategy of poker, but the most vital element of the game is that you understand and control the different types of players that you may be playing against. Once you identify their play style you can easily defeat them, because you will know which the hands they most trust upon are, how much they bet and when they usually do it.
In order to improve your game, it is very important that you understand what type of poker player you are and most important what type of players your opponents are. So, either you play online poker at www.freepoker.org or table poker its good thing to know how will other players going to play the game, and most of all, if you know how others view you at the table you can use this information to your advantage. Poker player types fall into five basic categories. Which one are you? Better yet, which one are you most of the time?
Tight Passive player
These kinds of poker players are also known as “weak-tight”. As their nickname said they are tight but passive. They usually maintain a tight starting hand but after the flop their play is weak. They are known for often checking and calling instead of betting and raising. This type of players only bets if the cards in their hands are extremely good. So, if they are having a “good hand” they don’t know how to capitalize on them, and therefore they winning only small amounts of money of in most of the cases the fold them over.
They are very easy to identify. So, whoever plays few hands, checks on the flop often and rarely bets or rises is well known as tight-passive player. It’s very easy to play against them, because they don’t like to risk, so if they check you simple need to bet and take the pot.
The Solid player
These kinds of players are not very easy to spot on, mainly because they are very discreet kind of players. Basically they are players with a strong grasp of poker fundamentals and play the game very well. They understand other players psychology, they know how to “change gears”, they are reading their opponents most effectively, and best of all, they are extremely good in odds understanding. This type of players usually plays only few hands, just like tight players, and they are always aware of the value of their cards. Many of these kinds of players you can watch on WSOP main tournament.
In order to beat them, you’ll need good reading at first, because you must be very careful, but once you break their barrier and get familiar with their style it’s easy to attack them since they are generally rational and predictable.
The “Calling Station” player
They are most common opponents you’ll run into in small stakes game, mainly online. These kinds of players are the worst, because they play almost every hand, calling a lot and barely raising the bets regardless of the strength of hand. They are very well known for lack of initiative, and their gameplan is often pure luck.
Correct play against calling stations leads strategy adjustments like normally playing strong hands strongly without deception, while not betting marginal hands.
The Loose player
Every poker player very well knows these kinds of players. Their attendance can’t be overlooked at the poker table and it can be rather nerve-racking to play against them. They are strongly impulsive players and in most of cases they are play too many hands even with weak cards. These kinds of players are not as extreme as the “calling station” ones, but they can be very wild and loose. They are tending toward passive kind of game and call frequently, but the main characteristic of these players is that they are not aware of their position in the game.
Winning strategy against these kinds of players is to bet strong when possible and not trying to bluff.
The Maniac
This is the nickname for aggressive loose players. It’s not difficult to recognize them. They are often plays any two cards and is in almost every pot, betting and raising. He bluffs on the flop frequently and often takes down the pot on the flop with an aggressive overbet. They are unpredictable and can become a real nightmare during poker game because of their lack of fear.
You’ll need to have a good strategy when you are playing against them, and from there you’ll have to make certain adjustments as the game go on. Do not trust them, just be patient when finding you before these players and limit yourself to calling exclusively with good hands.
