In this chapter of the poker school we are going to examine different types of poker players. The four categories described below are of course just archetypes of poker players while in real life players can change playing styles. With that said, I think this way of analyzing opponents can be very effective.

 

The Four Player Types

The Rock - Tight/Aggressive

First we have the category most poker authors claim to be the best playing style for winning poker. A rock is selective about his starting hands and mostly plays only the best hands described in the article about pre-flop play. But when the rock decides to play a hand, he puts pressure on his opponents and prefers betting and raising to calling.

First we have the category most poker authors claim to be the best playing style for winning poker.A rock is selective about his starting hands and mostly plays only the best hands described in the article about pre-flop play. But when the rock decides to play a hand, he puts pressure on his opponents and prefers betting and raising to calling.

 

A rock is selective about his starting hands and mostly plays only the best hands described in the article about pre-flop play. But when the rock decides to play a hand, he puts pressure on his opponents and prefers betting and raising to calling.

If you are new to poker, this is definitely the style you should strive for. It is the best and easiest way of making a profit at the poker table.

But how do you protect yourself against a rock? First of all, this is not the player you should try to take a lot of money from. Usually there are weaker targets at the table, and if there aren't, you should look for a new game. When a tight/aggressive player raises, you can fold hands like A-J. You know that he mostly plays good starting hands and why would you clash with him holding a semi-weak ace?

On the other hand, this is a kind of player you can bluff. Remember that he is tight by nature, and even though he might fire a bluff once in a while, the rock usually wants to have a real hand when putting money into the pot. So my recommendation is to stay a way from the rock most of the times, but if you have a strong hand or sense weakness on his part, don't be afraid to fight fire with fire and raise him back.

 

The Maniac - Loose/Aggressive

The maniac's playing style has become increasingly popular over the last ten years or so. At the high stakes tables in Internet poker rooms the battle is often about who is the most aggressive. A loose player plays a wide range of starting hands and sees outs, even when there is just a few, as an opportunity to take down the pot. But a maniac plays aggressively and don't give you anything for free.

This fact sometimes makes it hard to put this type of player on a hand. He often plays, say, a straight draw, a middle pair or an over pair the same way, so it can be hard to know when it's time to put the foot down and raise him back.

Depending on how skilled the player is, the maniac can be everything between the best and the worst player at the table. Many of the top players today are deploying this strategy, but for one successful loose/aggressive player there are probably 20 unsuccessful ones. In consequence, you shouldn't try to copy this style unless you are a superb post-flop player and knows exactly when it is time to give up a hand and when it is time to fire another barrel.

But how do you play against a maniac? There are a few different ways to approach this player. Say that you sit on a monster hand - perhaps a set on a board with no apparent straight and flush draws - then you can slow-play and just call, especially when sitting "in position." You know that the maniac likes to bluff and why not let him do that when you think that a raise from you only will scare him off.

On the other hand, if you should fold A-J pre flop against a rock you should perhaps raise with it against a maniac. Say that your opponents play 35% of his hands, then you know that A-J is a lot better then his average raising hand.

As a general rule I think you should play aggressively against a maniac when you have a good hand and let him dig his own grave when you are in great shape.

Brad Booth vs. Phil Ivey - who wins the aggression competition?

The Calling Station - Loose/Passive

This is every good poker player's favorite opponent. He plays a lot of starting hands, loves to draw even when the odds are insufficient, and everything is done in a passive manner. Basically, he loves to call, hence his name.

This players' biggest problem is that he can never wins a pot unless he holds the best hand. Since he never bets or raises, he will never get anyone to fold the best hand. So if a calling station wants to win, he must receive great hands.

 

How do you exploit calling stations' weak play? Since this player calls a lot, you should bet when you have the best hand and fold when you think you are behind. Bet your good hands for value until your opponent raises back, because if a calling station suddenly raises, he usually have the nuts or at least close to it.

Make the calling station pay for draws, top-pair with weak kicker and so on. But don't start pulling off fancy bluffs. Chances are that the calling station won't understand that he is supposed to fold, which might result in hem actually outplaying the outplayer. Winning against a calling station is in fact quite easy if you stick to a straightforward game plan.

Jamie Gold, by many considered a huge calling station, tells what hand he holds...

... and decides to call.

The Chicken - Tight/Passive

This player is perhaps not that common as the others. This is the kind of player you even wonder why he plays the game - he doesn't even seem to like it. He seems more scared to lose than he is eager to win.

The chicken is tight - plays few starting hands - but when he plays them he prefers to just call. He might not lose as much as a calling station since he is in very few hands, but he is determined to lose money. There is no doubt about that.

 

The chicken is tight - plays few starting hands - but when he plays them he prefers to just call. He might not lose as much as a calling station since he is in very few hands, but he is determined to lose money. There is no doubt about that.

When playing against a tight/passive player sirens must go off when he decides to call. We know that he is tight, and we know that he calls a lot, so when the he finally calls something he might sit on a hand a lot better than he actually thinks.

Bluff the chicken a lot because most of the times he has missed. You don't even have to bet that much - half the pot will usually get him to lay down his hand. However, if he stays in, strongly consider giving the hand unless you have a monster.