The secret to playing winning poker isn’t just the cards, but the faces and in the actions of the people at the table
The most commonly asked poker questions usually take the form of ‘How do I play A-Q suited when I get re-raised?’ Or ‘What do I do when I flop top pair and get check-raised?’ All too often the professional/ analyst/bloke on the rail is ready to jump in with a full-blown, definitive answer. The problem with that is although poker is often taught and learnt in a vacuum, it isn’t played in one. Poker is a game about people played with cards, not vice versa.
It’s played by individuals making their own decisions. Your job, when you’re playing, is to try and understand how your opponents think – about the game in general and the hand they’re playing. Poker is a quest for information – the more you understand your opponents the more complete your information will be, which will lead to you making better decisions and more money!
In this article I’ll dissect some typical player types and how best to exploit them. But first I should warn you that the four types will be a simplification of the players and situations you will regularly come across. When you sit down in any game of poker you’re attempting to play your opponents as individuals, not as part of a generic group and not all in the same way.
As you improve as a player your skill at understanding how your individual opponents are thinking and how they’ll play in certain situations will improve. Good poker players are able to adapt to whatever their opponents are thinking and doing, and avoid the trap of always playing the same hand in the same way.
They are also able to think as their opponents think. It’s often the case that the more poker knowledge a player has the harder he finds it to adapt to someone who has less knowledge, which leads to mistakes like bluffing a player who will never fold a hand of even moderate strength. When you play, strive to make the right decisions for your situation in terms of the specific opponents you face.
Typecasting
In order to get a handle on how to vary your play against different opponents I’m going to look at some player ‘types’. Remember, this is to help you make decisions against different players, but you should try not to think in generic groups, rather in terms of the individuals you’re playing. Also, be sure to adjust to how players are playing at any given point. For instance, you may know an opponent is usually a good solid player, but if he’s taken three big bad beats in a row, he may start playing erratically.
Adjust your game as your sessions develop and make extensive notes when you get any useful information on a player. Finally, if you’re playing online, tracking software can be a big help but recognise that someone’s stats do not tell the full story of how they play; in fact two players with the same initial stats may play very differently in any given situation.
I’ll assess playing types on two different scales – looseness and aggressiveness. It’s important to understand the difference between the two as players sometimes confuse them. Looseness is how often players play hands – the less they play the tighter they are. Aggressiveness is how aggressive they are when they play a hand (i.e. how often they bet and raise rather than check and call). You need to recognise that there is no necessary relationship between the two, and often it is how aggressively a player plays that is the more important dynamic.
CHARACTER BUILDING
Here are the four player ‘types’. What category do you fall under? And, more impor tantly, what is your best approach when you face each at the table?
1 TIGHT-AGGRESSIVE (TAG)
There was a time when a tight-aggressive style was the way all good players sought to play, and the truth is, for many it’s still the optimal way. This style involves playing quality hands with a slightly wider range in position. It also involves playing those hands aggressively, looking to have the lead in the hand pre- flop by raising or re-raising, and keeping the lead after the flop by frequently making continuation bets. This style is often employed by players who multi-table and are possibly earning a living from the game.
It’s tough to exploit a good tight-aggressive player. They continually put pressure on their opponents but play enough quality hands to make it hard to know when you can take them on. Sometimes, though, these players end up playing on autopilot, which can be a weakness. For example, they continuation bet too often and play poorly when check-raised. As with most players, they also play worse out of position, so look to take advantage of that.
Poorer tight-aggressive players sometimes lose their aggression on later streets and fail to extract enough value on the turn and river from time to time. It can also be profitable to ‘float’ them on the flop as they will often make their continuation bet then give up if they haven’t connected with their hand. Perhaps their biggest weakness is that they can be predictable in terms of which hands they will play in which positions and you can look to exploit this. Generally speaking, though, good tight-aggressive players are going to be difficult to exploit.
2 LOOSE-AGGRESSIVE (LAG)
This type of player will get involved in a lot of pots and play their hands very aggressively. This style has been extremely popular in poker over the last few years, but it’s an extremely difficult style to play well as it involves entering pots with poorer hands and having to make far more marginal decisions.
When you’re up against a loose-aggressive player it’s crucial to try and discern how competently your opponent plays this style. The key to figuring this out is how they play the big pots. Actually, that’s a good tip for assessing any opponent, but particularly someone who is playing in a ‘Laggy’ fashion – are they making reckless bluffs in big pots or trapping people with the goods?
Playing against a good loose-aggressive player can be extremely tough. They will put huge pressure on you, sometimes betting all three streets with very little and then turning up with a big hand the time you decide to call.
Even so, it’s vital to widen your calling range when playing against a LAG. They are playing and betting substandard hands, so if you want to fully exploit them it’s important to be prepared to call them with weaker hands than you would an average player. Again, knowing how they play in big pots and how they bet their good hands and bluffs is vital in making big calls against them.
Try not to play how loose-aggressives want you to. Make your decision against them early in the hand. If you think you’re ahead decide how you want to play the hand and commit to it. Firing back at them with a re-raise or calling down are both valid options, but don’t make the mistake of calling one or two bets from them and then folding on the river, as that’s what they’re banking on. If you think you have the best hand stay committed to your decision and don’t let loose-aggressive players bully you. They’ll soon get the message that they can’t mess with you.
3 TIGHT-PASSIVE (TIGHT/WEAK)
These types of players look to wait for premium hands, but when they get them don’t play them aggressively enough. When they meet resistance in a hand they often either fold or become defensive, checking and calling instead of betting. This type of player may believe they’re playing tight-aggressive when actually they’re playing in a highly exploitable way.
Tight-passives usually play in a predictable style and are probably the easiest opponents to put on a hand. For instance, if they raise under the gun they’re highly likely to have a premium hand. If they call a bet on the flop and then make a big check-raise on the turn, they almost always have a strong made hand rather than being on a draw or bluff.
You should be looking to bully this kind of opponent. They fold too much and will very rarely make big bluffs or get their stack in the pot with anything less than a premium hand. Make sure you give them every opportunity to make a big laydown by representing that monster they’re already afraid of. And make sure you compliment them on their laydown when they throw away their overpair and you take it down with Nine-high.
Pick your spots carefully though – these opponents are still playing good cards in the main and it’s going to be tough to get them to fold a big pair or top pair when there’s nothing you can credibly represent. However, when the board becomes threatening and they move into defensive mode it can be very profitable to make moves against them.
4 LOOSE-PASSIVE (CALLING STATIONS)
It’s basically impossible to play winning poker if you play a lot of hands passively, but these guys try. Seek them out and get into their games – they are some of your most generous opponents.
Despite them playing a very poor style, which involves rarely taking the lead in hands and calling far too many bets with substandard hands, good players sometimes play poorly against them. The only way a player like this will beat you is by catching cards and making big hands, as it’s incredibly rare they will bluff opponents off a hand.
If one of these players has a run of cards it can be very frustrating as they’re basically playing showdown poker, which means you need to have a hand to beat them. However, in the long run you will make much of your profit from this type of player.
It’s important that you adjust your game significantly against calling stations. Time and again, even at the higher levels, it’s possible to witness good players trying to bluff loose-passive players. Some players – even good ones – have aggression so ingrained in their play that they waste money and chips trying to bluff unbluffable players.
Extracting maximum value from these opponents is absolutely vital to playing winning poker. Their weakness is that they call too much, so make them pay for their mistakes. Have the discipline to wait for a hand, and then, when you have the goods, bet big and often. Against the worst players of this style it’s often worth overbetting as they will take little notice of the amount and call regardless.
Also be aware that if a player like this makes a big aggressive move he very often has a big hand. Making big laydowns shouldn’t usually be a big part of your game, but against very passive opponents you should have the ability to fold decent hands.
