Playing Styles

Using the right strategy will give you an edge over the vast majority of player; they are other ways to increase your edge a bit more. One of them being recognising the different playing styles adopted by players. Being able to understand the will give you a good idea what they are thinking and be able to second guess them.

Loose-Aggressive - these players are known as maniacs as they play most hands and call most bets. They have no grasp of good poker strategy, no conception of the percentages and go all in at a drop of a hat. They rely totally on luck and in the short term can be successful. Though their chips run out when their luck runs out. You’re guaranteed to go broke very quickly by playing this way.

Loose-Passive - Slightly better than the maniac but do play most hands. This type of player rarely raises, instead just calls or checks no matter how good their hands might be. They are never in control of the betting and don’t take advantage of good hands so are certain to be losers. They might not lose as quickly as the maniac but still a loser in the long run.

Tight-Passive - Known as “rocks” these players don’t take any risks at all. Continuously folding and playing only the top hands. Though when they do get the elusive top hands it’s not their style to play aggressively. Instead they call and check. This type of play is very unsurprising and then these players do raise, everyone knows they have a good hand and fold immediately. They usually win only very small pots.

Tight-Aggressive - The best playing style to have. They only play good start cards and then play them aggressively by raising at every opportunity. When they have a good hand they go for the kill. They know the bad hands and fold them.

You might also like:

How to Obtain Poker SkillsAs you gain your poker experience you will learn that it isn’t always about winning but sometimes it’s about not losing. Remember you are not unbeatable. You will lose your...

Pre Flop PlayEarly Positions - The four seats to the immediate left of the dealer are considered early positions. As they have to act first, early position is a disadvantage and because...

Playing Heads UpIf you are aiming at winning when playing tournaments, heads up play is something you will have to get to grips with. ...

Playing FreerollsJust about everyone has a go at the many Freeroll poker tournaments that are out there. They are free (doh).Plus you can get a lot of play out of them...

Single Table TournamentsEssentially a single table tournament is a quick version of a multi-table tournament and your strategy should be played the same way: tight in the early stage, more loosely in...