Player Types

Okay, so after a brief introduction, I'm going to be discussing various types of players I've come across at the tables (mainly live, but I'll talk a little bit about online players as well). So basically, I've been playing poker professionally for about 3 years now. I'm completely self taught, I've seen a lot of weird hands, interesting players, playing styles, tells, etc. I've been up, down, played for hours without seeing a single cent of profit, played for 10 minutes and quadrupled up, and I've had a helluva lot of fun doing it.

So now I'm going to list the 4 main types of players out there. (this goes for both online and live, though there are differences, but I'll get into that later) 9/10 players will fit into one of these categories so hopefully this will make spotting a particular player's style easier for you. Here goes:

1. Tight Players - The Phil Hellmuth's of the world, ya know, the ones that like to wait 'till they have AK or a big pocket pair to raise preflop? These types generally don't tend to make continuation bets unless they hit the flop, and are less likely to call big bets/reraises unless they have premium holdings (top pair/top kicker, top 2 pair, a set, etc.)

2. Loose Players - These players typically like to see a lot of cheap flops, but are also willing pay off small to medium sized bets with weak hands to chase draws. These players tend to have a vary broad range of hands they play, and need to be studied for a few hands before you can get the hang of just how they play.

3. Donkeys - People that like to throw money at the pot (usually with no holdings) and hope to scare people off their marginal hands. These players also like to chase weak draws, usually tend to be very talkative at the tables, and (chances are) they tend to have some form of alcohol in their hands at all times. I find that 75% of online players fit into this category - I don't know if they're drunk or what, but if they were I wouldn't be surprised. If you've identified a player as a donkey, and their story doesn't add up, chances are they're bluffing. Calling with a pair or two usually works out in your favour, even if there are straight and flush draws on the board. (Use discretion, I'm not saying call every bet with bottom pair, but if you feel like they're bluffing, they probably are)

4. By-The-Book Players - These are the guys (or ladies) that tend to follow books like "Super System" to the letter. Players like this are VERY easy to put on hands, which makes it easier to know when to muck your cards, or when to shove. There's actually a particular player I know that likes to raise 8 or 9 times the big blind (or any other preflop raise) if he has a pocket pair, no matter how big - he counts as one of these players. If you haven't read all the poker books out there, it's a little harder to spot these players, but look for very formulaic plays. If seat 3 does something the same way on every hand he plays (1 out of evert 9 or 10 hands), chances are seat 3 is a by-the-book player.

Next post I'll discuss how to combat these various styles, but for now, when you're at the tables, try to spot these players and figure out how they play. Goodluck at the tables 'till then!

Nick