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Player Types
(August 19, 2006)
One of the keys to developing a well-rounded poker game is the ability to understand and gauge your competition. There are a number of different categories which amateur players can be lumped into, and the sooner you recognize which type of player you are up against, the better your chances are of experiencing some success.
Of course, not every player falls neatly into one of these categories, and it’s these players of whom you should be wary. But for the most part, inexperienced players will fall into one of the following styles. If you can identify this early, you will know which players are ripe for attack and which players are better left alone.
Loose
This type of player is inexperienced, and therefore eager to play out as many hands as possible. They rely on luck rather than any sound strategy, and for this reason you must be careful when you lock horns with one. If the cards are falling in the favor of a loose player, they stand to win a lot. If you have pinpointed this type of player, proceed with caution and once you have the strongest hand you can often bury them.
Tight
The most conservative type of poker player. They play very few hands and proceed only when they know they stand a good chance of winning the hand. In order not to get burned, you have to give tight players some distance. Unless they are bluffing, which they seldom do, when the cards are turned over they will nearly always have a strong hand. If a player folds several hands in a row, they probably fall into this category.
Loose Passive
Probably the most fun type of player to go up against because their betting patterns are so predictable. A loose passive player will call almost anything and very seldom raise. When you have the nuts and you’re pretty sure about it, you should be able to take a fair share of this type of player’s cash.
Loose aggressive
The most reckless and unpredictable type of player, loose aggressive types love to bluff and raise for no apparent reason other than to confuse you and keep you off your guard. They tend to be the macho type who feel that they can intimidate their way to success. Patience and composure is the key to beating this type of player.
Tight passive
The ‘rocks’ of the poker world, tight passives win very few hands but also lose very little money. They will generally still be around at the end of a long evening, but due to their reluctance to take risks they seldom come out on top. Also, the pots they win are usually quite small.
Tight aggressive
Probably the hardest of any player type to beat, a player who falls into this category plays very few hands but consistently wins the ones he does. To beat one, bluffing might necessary and it is essential to steal his blinds due to their stingy reputation.
It is crucial to keep in mind that all players behave spontaneously and can never be expected to follow the above profiles all of the time. However, once you spot which type of characteristics a player has, over time they will demonstrate the tendencies which can help you take advantage of this knowledge. Good luck!
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