Different Poker Styles

Do you want to become a good poker player with the strategies of the most successful poker players online? Do you know what the different styles of play in poker are? Before getting into the specific personality types of poker players, let’s define the game we’re discussing: No-Limit Texas Hold’em poker.

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No Limit Texas Hold ‘em is a form of poker where you are trying to get the best 5-card hand. Every player is dealt two Hold Cards face-down, and the group uses the same five Community Cards from the center. After the Hold Cards are dealt, there is a betting round. The first three cards are dealt face-up; this is called the Flop. After the Flop, there’s another betting round. The fourth card is dealt, called the Turn. Another betting round takes place, then the final card called the River is revealed. One last betting round ensues, and the remaining players show their cards to determine the winner.

What makes No-Limit Texas Hold ‘em so exciting is that on any bet a player can push all their chips into the center and say they are All In. The only limit on your bet is how much you have. If this is your first experience with online poker we recommend that you try video poker for free before continuing. Those are the basics. Now let’s get into the 5 different types of poker players:

1) The BLUFFER poker player

How they play poker:
It’s okay to bluff. It’s actually a pretty essential thing to know how to do, but the Bluffer takes it too far. They don’t know how to read their opponents, so rather than bluffing based on how others are playing, they tend to bluff as a way to make the game more exciting.

This type of player often doesn’t know how to back down after starting a bluff, which can lead to them being sucked into an All-In situation with no hand at all. Now there are certainly some situations where it’s a smart move to bluff with an All-In, but the Bluffer doesn’t really understand how to recognize these situations. They are mostly just counting on luck.

Player personality:
The Bluffer is the type of person at the party who speaks before they think and doesn’t use subtlety. You never know if they are telling the truth or just trying to get attention.

Are they successful poker players?
No, they are not. The Bluffer doesn’t understand the poker game well enough to win consistently. Bluffers are often new players or players who are just really stubborn.

2) The ROCK poker player

How they play poker:
The Rock is a “tight-passive” player that doesn’t bet often. They almost never raise and because of this, if you see a Rock getting into a hand, you can be pretty confident they’re holding something spectacular. Proceed with caution.
Player personality:
The Rock is someone that bides their time. Sometimes it works out for them, and they get what they’re waiting for. Other times it feels like they missed out through their inaction. They’re a dreamer not a doer.

Are they a successful poker player?
The Rock doesn’t play many hands, which means they don’t have to worry about the slow trickle of losses that can accompany a player eager to see every Flop. A Rock can come out on top if the rest of the table is aggressive: when everyone else is betting, the Rock can let their good hands sneak in with the rest of the crowd without alerting anyone by actually placing the bets themselves. The problem with playing a Rock is that due to the lack of betting other players are often able to see the Turn and the River without much cost, giving the Rock the chance to make a straight or a flush.
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3) The TAG poker player

How they play poker:
Lots of bets, lots of raises, but not many hands. The TAG is a “tight-aggressive” player who waits for a good hand then plays it aggressively. They have a couple of ways to win: either they win with their better hand or they cause more cautious opponents to fold.

Player personality:
The TAG knows what they want. They’re the kind of person who waits for an opportunity, then fully applies themselves. TAGs understand the value of patience, but when they commit they really commit.

Are they a successful poker player?
If the TAG is playing with a group of players that know what they’re doing, there’s a good chance they’ll catch on to a TAG’s style and change their play to beat it. If the other players know a TAG is playing tight it’s easier to steal the blinds. However, as a strategy, the TAG style of play is the most profitable in the long term: bad hands are thrown away, and good hands are pursued with the support they need to make the win.

If you’re new to poker, or even if you’re a pro, the TAG strategy is a good one to use. If you’re really new to poker, try playing Video Poker first. It will give you a good overview of which hands beat which, plus the chance to win some cash.

4) The Calling Station poker players

How they play poker:
This type of player invests a whole lot of early interest with no real strategy. The Calling Station likes to see the Flop. Even if they still don’t have a hand after the Flop, they may call because they want to see what’s coming on the Turn or the River. They seldom bet or raise for fear of causing their opponents to fold nor do they want to push when others are playing. The Calling Station is just along for the ride.

Player personality:
The Calling Station is someone who just wants to be liked. They’re never going to say anything that might offend others, they laugh at all of your jokes, and they agree with pretty much everything you say.

Are they a successful poker player?
The Calling Station can get lucky; sometimes they call with a terrible hand and that hand ends up looking great after the Flop. The other players aren’t expecting them to play with a bad hand, so they can be surprised by an unlikely match. That said, there’s a reason no one is expecting the Calling Station to call with a bad hand, simply because it’s a bad hand. At the end of the day, luck doesn’t last, and the Calling Station will find that neither will their chips.
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5) The LAG poker players

How they play poker:
The LAG is a “loose-aggressive” player. They play a lot of starting hands, and they also like to bet and raise. However, they don’t often call. The LAG gets to see a lot of hands, which means that sometimes they hit a big one. They also bet even when their hands aren’t great. This means that other players have trouble reading them and figuring out what they’re doing.

There are successful poker players who use the LAG strategy, but it’s not something recommended for those who are still learning the game. A LAG has to be aware of their ratio of cash coming in and cash going out. Since LAGs are constantly playing and betting, they need to make sure enough of the other players fold to their aggressive moves to justify the cost.

Player personality:
The LAG is someone who knows how to read people. They’re incredibly enthusiastic but are still guarded with their own feelings. A LAG is someone you love to have around, but you have a hard time getting truly close with.

Are they a successful poker player?
LAGs are successful poker players if they know what they’re doing. If you can read your opponents, keep a good poker face, and manage your bankroll with ease, then the LAG strategy could be for you.

So who’s the most successful poker player out of all the personalities?

Overall, it would be hard to avoid naming the TAG as the most successful poker player. The TAG can dominate over new players with aggressive bets as well as keep their bankroll safe from more advanced competitors. The TAG relies on patience, which can make the strategy hard to pull off. Whatever your level of play, the TAG strategy is one worth trying.

Honorable Mention: The LAG. LAG is a more advanced strategy, but many poker pros are able to make it work with smashing success. Just make sure you’ve had enough practice before venturing in with this high risk/high reward style of play.

So, which type of poker player are you:
1) The Bluffer – doesn’t understand the game
2) The Rock – tight-passive player
3) The TAG – tight-aggressive player
4) The Calling Station – calls all of the time, rarely bets or raises
5) The LAG – loose-aggressive player

If you don’t know yet, hop on to CoolCat Online Casino and find out what type of player you are up against!

Poker is not just a card game, but a game of people played with cards. As you progress through the stages towards poker expertise, you will experience moments when you realize how powerful this statement is. In this lesson we’ll be looking at some of the basic poker playing styles that exist and how to spot them. Whether you’re playing online or playing live, when you observe the types of decisions your opponents make you can really pick up on their tendencies, psychologically and emotionally – that can help you determine how best to play against them.

Poker is a game of observation. Therefore the first step to defining a player’s playing style is to observe their general tendencies. This factor is the central core of poker success. Learning your opponents’ proclivities is a must if you intend to become a winning player. Every action an opponent takes means something. Why from that position did player x raise or just call? It cannot be stressed enough to pay attention, especially when not in a hand (which should be the majority of the time) to learn how your opponents think and act.

Poker Style Pipe

Defining Poker Playing Styles

Each poker player can be broken down into two primary factors which will broadly define their playing style. They are as follows: tight vs. loose and passive vs. aggressive.

Tight vs. Loose

This first primary factor is shown in a player’s starting hand selection

• Tight poker players usually play a small number of only the best hands.
• Loose poker players will often play a wide variety of hands.

Being tight or loose doesn’t necessarily refer to how somebody plays their hand, but merely the selection of hands that they play. They’re either going to play a tight range of hands or a loose range of hands. How they play those hands – whether it is passive or aggressive – is going to dictate how you play against them.

Passive vs. Aggressive

A players passiveness or aggressiveness is displayed in their risk tolerance.

• Passive poker players tend to avoid confrontation and play with a fear of losing.
• Aggressive poker players raise more than call and are not afraid to put chips at risk.

By observing your opponents you’ll be able to categorize them based on what you see. Each poker player you encounter will have some degree in which these factors make up their personality but you have to start somewhere. The first step is to determine whether they are tight or loose. If an opponent folds most of their hands then mark them as tight. If they tend to play a lot of hands, mark them as loose. The next factor to determine is whether they are passive or aggressive. Do they call and check more often than they raise and bet? If so, mark them down as passive. If they bet and raise a lot you can mark them down as aggressive.

The Four Basic Poker Playing Styles

By assessing these factors you will typically see four general playing style combinations:

• Tight Passive
• Loose Passive
• Tight Aggressive (TAG)
• Loose Aggressive (LAG)

Knowing these broad characteristics will help you to figure out what a player has based on his betting action in a particular hand. If a loose-aggressive player is betting and raising you are less likely to credit him with a strong hand than if a tight-passive player raises or re-raises, since it’s something they don’t usually do.

Let’s examine these four basic playing styles in more detail:

The Tight-Passive

A typical tight-passive player generally doesn’t play many pots and will often just call pre-flop when they find a hand they like. They will play so tight that when they do play, everyone else folds. So, when they have a good hand they can’t make any money. This type of player is sometimes labelled as a ‘rock’ or a ‘nit’ and the general style of play can also be referred to as ‘weak-passive’. They are easy to bluff and will frequently fold to scary board cards, such as an Ace. The really timid players can also be paralyzed with fear and won’t take shots. This is because they tend to play with a fear of losing. Observant players who have identified a weak, predictable player will always be on the lookout for situations that can be exploited simply because the tight-passive player folds too frequently to aggression.

The Loose Passive

Loose-passive players like to limp into lots of pots. They will call raises “just to see a flop” and will remain in the hand whenever they hit any of it, however marginal. They seldom take chances or become aggressive in their plays and they tend to be “calling stations” when they do. Their whole approach to playing poker is to watch and let others do the risking. Many beginners or even players who’ve played for a long time can fall into the trap of just calling, calling and calling. This is especially true in low buy-in games. They are very obvious to spot and are easy targets. Unlike the tight-passive players, you’re not going to be able to bluff them – you never want to bluff a calling station! But when you do pick up a hand that is fairly strong, you should bet for value and milk as much out of them as you possibly can.

The Tight Aggressive (TAG)

The tight-aggressive player generally doesn’t play many pots. They are selective and generally only play the best starting hands. Unlike the tight-passive players, a tight-aggressive player will play their cards strongly. They are patient and wait for the best opportunities to strike but they are not afraid of betting. The best tight-aggressive players are often labelled as ‘sharks’ because a tight-aggressive style is frequently effective, regardless of the game variation or betting structure. Most observant opponents will avoid clashing with a tight-aggressive player since they’ll assume that they have the best hand and will fold under the pressure.

The Loose Aggressive (LAG)

The loose-aggressive player tends to raise or re-raise a wide variety of hands pre-flop and will often bet on most flops. They can be extremely difficult to read because they play such a wide range of hands. In no-limit hold’em there are some very skilled players who employ a loose-aggressive style of play to great effect. They use their chips as weapons and are constantly applying pressure on their opponents. They will bluff a high percentage of the time and are hard to play against. However, at the extreme end of the loose-aggressive scale is the ‘maniac’ who seemingly raises without rhyme or reason. The maniac’s tendency to overplay his hands means you will almost surely show a profit in the long run against this type of player.

Tricky or Straightforward?

Be aware that nobody fits into very neat or specific groups. Once you’ve put players into an initial category you’re ready for the next step – which is to determine whether or not they are tricky. This is not always easy because poker players tend to fall on a continuum that ranges between extremely tricky and completely straightforward. However, it’s an important step because once you put them somewhere on the scale you can begin to intepret their actions with greater accuracy. For example, let’s suppose a tight-aggressive player raises pre-flop from early position. If he is a straightforward tight-aggressive then you can credit him with a strong hand, such as a premium pair. If you’ve determined that he’s a very tricky player then he might also be mixing it up by raising with two big cards or a suited Ace.

The key to all of this is observation. You really need to observe the players at your table and pick up on their tendencies and understand what type of plays and decisions they make based on their personality types. If you can, start to classify them into some of the groups we’ve discussed. It then makes your decisions a lot easier and more profitable.

Different Poker Styles Images

The Importance of Aggression

Remember that poker is a game of aggression and this is especially true of hold’em. If you don’t want to be aggressive, then you shouldn’t play — or at least you shouldn’t expect to win. Poker is all about conflict and it’s not a game for the weak. This is why an aggressive style of play is critical to success. This is a central truth of the game that we all deal with every time we sit down to play. We’re trying to beat the other player and take their money. As the late great Jack Straus once said “I’d even bust my own grandmother if she played poker with me.”

There are obviously times when it’s good to be deceptive and just call pre-flop with a premium hand or check-call a strong hand after the flop. Even aggressive players do this on occasion, but the big difference is they’re mixing up their game – unlike the tight-passive player who only calls when they should probably raise, due to a fear of losing. As the old poker saying goes, “Scared money never wins“.

The biggest downside to a passive style of play is that it only offers one way to win the pot – when you have the best hand. An aggressive style of play gives you two ways to win – when you have the best hand and when you force your opponent to fold the best hand, thereby abdicating the pot to you. For example, if you were aggressive pre-flop, depending on what cards are on the flop, you can continue your aggression by betting and often winning the hand even if you miss completely.

Which is the Best Playing Style?

We’ve already discussed the importance of aggression and why it’s almost always best to be aggressive. A good solid strategy of tight and aggressive play is generally rewarded with a profit. There are some experienced players who have great success by adopting a loose-aggressive style of poker. However, for the majority of players a tight-aggressive approach is usually the most profitable. This style of play is also undoubtably the best way for beginners to start out playing poker since it teaches good habits such as patience and discipline. The tight-aggressive approach also works well as a “default position” and players often build a strong skills base by starting out with such a playing style.

Ultimately though, you should choose a style of play that is the most profitable for you and that suits your personality. In fact, your style of play at the poker table is often shaped by your personality away from the table. Some people can play very differently to their actual personality, but most will revert to type. For example, there are some players who we could label as ‘loose-aggressive/passives’ – these players will raise a lot of hands pre-flop but will often give up on the flop or turn. Typically these are former tight-aggressives or tight-passives trying to experiment with looser play but are not comfortable committing to their aggression – because it’s against their nature. So the best advice we can give is to find what works for you by playing poker and gaining experience on the felt.

It’s also important to point out that the best poker players adjust their style to the players at the table and the conditions of the game. It’s often said that if you’re playing on a table full of tight players then you should loosen up, whereas if you’re playing on a table full of aggressive players then playing a tight game and catching them in the act is an effective strategy. Always be observant of the players at your table and the conditions and adapt your style of play when necessary. It’s what good poker players do.

By Donovan Panone

Donovan started playing poker in 2004 and is an experienced tournament and cash game player who has a passion for teaching and helping others improve their game.