Prominence Poker – All Player Types

This is the third part of a series that wants to teach people who don’t know much about poker how to become good at playing poker for virtual money with low bets.

Dans ce guide, you will learn about the different kinds of players you might meet when you’re playing poker. Toi’ll find out how to recognize them, understand how they usually play their cards, and get tips on how to play against them.

introduction

I try not to use terms like « tight aggressive » because they can be unclear. « Tight » et « aggressive » can be good or bad in poker. Some really good players might be called « tight aggressive, » but there are also players who have a small range of cards, get a middle pair on a board with A-K-9, and keep betting their King until the end, even when another player keeps calling. Ils’re tight and aggressive but not good.

Donc, I use more like funny pictures to describe the players. It helps you understand how they behave and what mistakes they might make. You can also make your own descriptions. I have three types of weak players, et ils’re all like « poisson, » which is a word in poker for people you can trick and take their money. There are two players who are not very weak or very strong, but one of them usually loses a lot of money, and there are two strong players.

Poisson 1 – The Calling Cod

Cod players often think their hands are better than they really are, et ils ne le font pas’t pay much attention to what other players might have. They might get a middle pair and still keep calling until the end, even if there are other players betting as well. They really like having any aces, même s'ils’re not the same suit, et ils’ll happily bet a lot of money if they have two high cards.

But just because they keep calling your bets doesn’je ne veux pas dire toi’ve beaten them. They do know when they have a good hand, and they might be calling with a top pair and a strong extra card. Tu peux’t be sure what exactly they have, they just have a wide range of hands that they’ll call with. Vous ne’t have to do anything special to win against Cod players, just remember that when you have a strong hand (like two pairs or three of a kind), toi’re probably in a good position and can make them bet a lot with just one pair.

They usually make their money from having good hands and from calling players who bet too much into them, assuming that they’re being called by a Cod with a weak hand.

Ils’re not easy to bluff. They like to call so much that it’s really hard to make them give up a hand. Ils’ll only fold if they have very bad cards, which means most of the time they fold, ils le feraient’t have won anyway.

Poisson 2 – The Timid Tetra

Tetras are pretty passive players. Ils ne’t often raise before the flop, even if they have good cards like A-K suited. After the flop, they prefer to call bets rather than raise. They believe in being aggressive only when they have the absolute best hand, or something really close to it. Donc, if a Tetra keeps calling your bets, be careful because they likely have a strong hand. They might pay just the minimum bet to see the flop, but not much more unless they have very strong cards.

To make money against Tetras, you need to take advantage of the chips they give up when they fold. Other players often make the mistake of not realizing that when Tetras call, they have a good hand. Par exemple, some players might bet a lot with two pairs while a Tetra quietly holds a straight, not realizing that the only time a Tetra calls is when they have a better hand.

You can bluff Tetras successfully. Ils ne’t like to take chances and can’t tell the difference between a bluff and a real strong hand. Ils’ll call if they think they’re strong, and fold if they feel they’ce n'est pas le cas.

Poisson 3 – The Betting Bass

A betting bass thinks they can win about half of the pots by making everyone else fold. They know the basics of how good their cards are and usually don’t play terrible cards or chase after clearly losing hands. But they have a habit of betting a lot, especially when others don’t. Ils’ll often raise before the flop to try to steal the pots.

If a player often bets when everyone else checks the flop, ils’re likely a Bass. To make money against a Bass, il’s pretty easy if you have the patience to only play strong hands. You might have to pay more to see the flop on average, but if the flop is good for you, tu mets’t have to worry about how much to bet because Bass players will do the betting for you. If your hand is really strong, you can raise them a lot on the river, et ils’ll often call with a wide range of hands, like any decent pair or better. The pots can get big without much effort.

Bluffing them is not very effective. If they have a bad hand, ils’ve probably already decided to give up on it, and if they have even a somewhat good hand, ils’ll likely believe it’s the best one.

Roches

The rocks in poker are pretty steady players. Ils’re not really good or bad, just solid like a rock. Ils ne’t waste their money on hopeless situations, et ils’re harder to make fold than Tetras. When they bet, they usually have a strong hand. When they check or call, they might be hoping for a good card, although sometimes they just have an average hand, like a medium pair. Ils’re also good at recognizing when other players’ bets mean they’re probably losing.

To make money against rocks, you need to pay attention to the strength of their hand. Ils’re likely to fold if they have nothing, and if they raise before the flop, it usually means they have a very strong starting hand, like the top hands. If they raise after the flop, il’s a sign to back away unless you already have a very good hand, like a straight, flush, or full house.

You can bluff them somewhat successfully. They understand the strength of their own hands and have a good sense of their drawing hands, mais ils’re not great at spotting bluffs from other players. They usually play with strong starting cards, so they often miss flops with low-value cards.

Maniaques

Maniacs bring excitement to poker tables. Ils peuvent’t resist betting big, love taking risks, and enjoy going all-in with a chance to land a magical straight.

To make money against a maniac, you need to be very selective with your hands. Fold most of the time, and only play if you have a very strong hand. S'ils’re going all-in all the time, consider calling with any ace, a king with a 10 or higher kicker, or pocket pairs of 8 ou supérieur. A part ça, wait for the flop and only continue if you have two pairs or better when they start betting.

Bluffing them is nearly impossible. They focus on their own cards and ignore what you’ve played or bet before. They get excited with any draw or pair and treat it like the best possible hand. They assume others are equally willing to bet on almost nothing.

The Dangerous End of the Table

The two-player types I consider « bien » players can range from decent players at low-stakes tables to some of the best professionals in the game. Là’s no special strategy to easily win against them because you basically need to be as good as they are and have good cards to beat them.

The key is to recognize when you’re facing one of these players and be cautious when playing against them. Avoid getting into big-money situations unless you’re confident that you have a better hand than they do.

Renards

Foxes are highly skilled at observing and analyzing other players, and they adjust their play accordingly. They excel at making money from loose fish and are careful not to lose to rocks when they have a strong hand.

A fox’s actions are influenced by their table position and their opponents. You can spot a fox by their mix of aggression, especially when playing against players you’ve identified as rocks or Tetras, and their ability to call with strong hands even in the face of heavy betting from others.

Other signs of a fox might include actions like betting on the flop, getting called, then checking on the turn before raising someone else’s bet. Il’s hard to predict their hand, et ça’s easy to fall into their traps. Identifying whether they’re bluffing depends on correctly guessing what kind of player they think you are.

Bluffing a fox is possible but moderate. If they perceive you as aggressive or likely to overplay weak hands, ils’re more likely to call your bluffs when you have a better hand. If they see you as a rock, you can probably bluff them off a pot or two.

toutefois, once they notice a pattern that doesn’t match their assessment, they adjust their evaluation to fit your play. Winning chips from foxes isn’t your primary target unless you’re at a table without any fish, dans quel cas, tu ne le fais probablement pas’t need this guide.

Sharks

Sharks in poker are like predators, always on the lookout for weaker players to target. They tend to avoid the aggressive players at the table, only engaging with them when they have a very strong hand and are ready to raise the bets aggressively. toutefois, when they encounter more passive players, they become relentless, betting even with weak or no hands once they understand the passive player’gamme.

Si tu’re playing like a rock and a shark is targeting you, il’s a good idea to find a new table. Ils’ll raise when you limp pre-flop and bet whenever you’re in a hand, have checked, and they suspect you don’t have a strong hand.

If you choose to stay at the table, be prepared to re-raise their bets occasionally, even when you have weak or nothing at all. This can help keep their aggression in check. If they feel their usual tactics won’ça ne marche pas, they may start focusing on other players and only engage with strong hands against you.

Bluffing a shark is moderately effective. Similar to foxes, their response to your bluffs depends on the image they have of you as a player. If they perceive you as passive or solid, a re-raise will be taken seriously, and you can succeed with some bluffs. toutefois, if you overdo it, ils’ll adjust and become less likely to fold when you bluff. If they think you’re an aggressive player, ils’ll have already folded their weak hands and will only call with strong ones.

Player Recognition Reference Chart

• Calling Cod: Rarely folds, rarely initiates bets, often calls with weak hands.
• Timid Tetra: Often folds, including pre-flop, rarely initiates bets or raises.
• Betting Bass: Often bets, including with weak hands, frequently calls.
• Roches: Rarely initiates bets, calls when they have strong hands, folds quite often.
• Maniaque: Bets and raises frequently, even with weak hands, rarely just calls.
• Renards: Call often when playing against Betting Basses, re-raise frequently when facing Maniacs, challenging to read.
• Sharks: Bet often when up against Timid Tetras and Rocks, may bet and fold to re-raises at times.