Have you ever wondered what type of player you are on the green table? Knowing the different types of players and knowing how to identify them is one of your best assets during a poker game.
You may be familiar with the terms fish and shark. Indeed, they are two of the most popular concepts when it comes to defining a poker player. But what if I told you that there is such a thing as tight-passive or loose-aggressive? Do you know what poker experts are talking about when they refer to a player as a TAG?
This article is not about how to play poker, but about identifying the opponents you will face in the online poker rooms or in the best clubs of the apps, such as 226poker, one of the most popular clubs – if not the most – of the growing X-Poker app.
Do you want to be one step ahead of your rivals in poker games? This article will interest you.
Tight-passive player
A passive tight player is easy to identify. This is the player who plays few hands and only those he is 100% sure of. The result? Small but safe profits.
Also known as “rocks”, these players have a tight control over their bankroll, so they do not suffer excessive variations. If we were to plot their monetary evolution on a graph, we would see a constant, but very contained, upward line.
In the eyes of their rivals, they are predictable players. At the moment they make a strong bet, they will know that they have a good hand, so they do not incur in raise and, therefore, in greater losses. At the slightest sign of aggression from a tight-passive player, the best attack is to fold.
Unless a tight-passive player is particularly skilled at bluffing (which is rare because of his fear of big money losses) he will be quickly identified by his opponents.
Tight-aggressive player
Remember at the beginning we mentioned the TAG player? Here it is. It is considered, roughly speaking, the archetype of the good poker player. They are observant, selective, intelligent and rational. They are popularly known as “sharks”.
A tigh-aggressive player shares with the first on our list, their taste for selective betting and bankroll control. Like the tight-passive, they will bet only if they are fully convinced that they have the winning combination. However, they will bet with all their strength. This is the big difference with tight-passives.
A tight-aggressive player ischaracterized by their control over the game. They are constantly analyzing the situation; they shy away from spontaneity and are confident when they have a strong hand. If you share a table with a tight-aggressive, be prepared to face one of the toughest players in betting.
Loose-passive player
We leave the control and containment of tight players to talk about the other extreme of personality: the loose player. If the aggressive tigh player is the prototype of the player that every poker lover wants to aspire to, the loose-passive player is equivalent to the one we commonly know as “fish”.
All players want fishes at their tables: they play every hand, guided by their “let’s see what happens” philosophy; their purpose in a poker game is simply to have fun and they lose, unsurprisingly, most of the hands they play.
Of course, a loose-passive player is very unpredictable. They are characterized by changing their game as they accumulate losses. You should also be wary of suffering tilt against these players. Loose-passives can win good hands simply by a stroke of luck, which can infuriate more experienced players.
A fairly common variant of the loose-passive is the “compulsive caller”. These, whether or not they have a good hand, will always pay the raise. Therefore, bluffing is not the best strategy against this type.
Loose-aggressive player
Let’s recap. A tigh-aggressive player is what every player aspires to be: a loose-passive player is what every player hopes to meet as an opponent; a loose-aggressive player is what you never want to face.
This type of player is very dangerous, especially in tournaments. The reason? They accumulate chips at high speed and then demonstrate their skill. However, in cash games, where the blinds don’t go up, good hands from their opponents leave them totally exposed.
Very fond of reraises, they play a large number of very diverse hands. In addition, they love to bluff. On the other hand, loose-aggressive players are observant and know how to put pressure on their opponents, something that is not suitable for all players.
Unlike tight-passive players, if you have a loose-aggressive player sitting at your table, action is guaranteed. Variations in their stack are the order of the day, experiencing both notable increases and dramatic decreases.
Also known as “maniacs”, they sometimes impose their game with a certain impulsiveness and unconsciousness, which brings them bad bets and losses.
Why is it important to know poker player profiles?
As you should already know, poker is not a game of chance. This mental sport requires much more than knowing the hand rankings and trusting in the goddess Fortuna so that, on the river, that card appears that gives you the royal flush (quite rare, on the other hand).
In fact, it is no secret that the best poker players have reached where they are after many hours of study and many games played in which they have defined their strategy and perfected their player profile.
If you want to become a good poker player you have to start by training yourself, know yourself and know who you can face. Don’t miss the interesting article from Estudiantes10.com, which guides you on how to start studying poker effectively and become a real shark on the green carpet.
Until then, remember to adapt your game to the profile of the opponents you meet at the table. Use your first few hands to identify them. If you are facing the tight profile or the fishes (passive loose), do not hesitate to be aggressive. If, on the other hand, you have had the misfortune to face an aggressive loose, practice a contained game and always according to your bankroll.