Beating Hold 'Em: Players and Their Types

Poker is a hobby played with many different styles in all different parts of the world. Players have adapted certain terms to describe the way in which they play the game, and being able to pick up on your opponent's style will give you an edge over them.

Player Types

Loose-Aggressive - These players do not care about being pushed "all-in," they will go in with a pocket of Aces or a 9 4 off-suit. The key to being a successful player in this category is to mix it up, so that you are hard to read. Generally this style of poker is played by high-rollers.

Loose-Passive - This style of play is one where the player generally calls everything they see, never raising unless they catch a break, but once they see the flop it is hard to get them to fold. This is also known as the "amateur" style of play.

Tight-Aggressive - This player is one that plays only strong hands. They will bet big when they have one, and can catch people out of position by beating a 3 of a kind with their flush. The aggressiveness come in if they don't get the cards they want on the flop, they may stay in to see if they can catch something on Fourth Street or The River. Bluffing is rare. This style of play is best suited for limit games.

Tight-Passive - This player tends to only bet on strong hands. If they are calling your raise make sure you calculate the odds (see how to calculate odds) because there is a strong chance they have a very good hand. Once again best suited for limit games.