Identifying Your Poker Opponents
In online poker and at real poker tournaments everywhere, there are certain terms used to describe players. “Tight,” “loose,” “aggressive,” etc. What do these terms mean and how can they help you identify your opponents’ playing styles and likely tactics? This guide is designed to help you figure out how to slot your opponents and what to do against them to minimize your losses and maybe even take some of their own hard-earned cash.
Tight Aggressive
These are the players you want to be like. Think of how Mr. Spock would play poker and you’re on your way there. They don’t play a lot of hands, but when they do, they do it strongly and with a real knowledge of the game. They’re hard to read and tricky, and they can be mighty unpredictable once they’ve established their playing style at the table. They’ll go in with a great hand, sit out five or six rounds, then suddenly take everyone’s money playing with a 7-2 split. When you identify one of these pliers, stay out of their way unless you’ve got a fantastic hand that can take them down. You hope.
Loose Aggressive
This guy watches way too much poker on TV and thinks they’ve got that playing style down pat. What they don’t realize is that poker games are edited for TV to show only the most exciting moments and the fact they’ve downed a couple of bourbons is only going to make them more aggressive. Don’t bluff or get involved with too many marginal hands with them on the board. Look to use their bluffing against them when you have a strong hand and you might find someone who’s gone all-in holding a pair of twos when you’ve got a flush.
Loose Passive
Ah, the calling station. They do the opposite of what they’re supposed to do at the tables, calling with mediocre hands and not making the most of their bigger hands by raising and pushing the game forward. Why do they do this? It’s usually ignorance or fear of playing, but it can actually be a part of their personality that’s rooted deep-down. Play showdowns against them, push your good hands for value, and wear them down slowly. It’ll take a while, but eventually their chips are going to be dispersed among the other players.
Tight Passive
This guy is a rock. They’ll only play while holding rockets and the second they raise, everyone backs off. Pay attention to this contrast, stay out of their way, and bluff after a while to see if they get shaken up by the lack of fear from you. A well-timed bet and raise can completely change how they approach the table and they might just fold because you sot up to them.
These are the four basic personality types and with them, you can help identify how you play and what to do with your cards when you meet any of these archetypes at the tables.
