Different player types & how to beat them

There are 4 main types of players in poker. You need to be aware of them and how to play against them. You also need to know which player type you should be playing as.

The 4 main types of poker player are:

• Tight aggressive
• Loose aggressive
• Tight passive
• Loose passive

Tight and loose refer to what kinds of starting hands you are willing to play. If you are a player who only plays premium hands, such as KK, JJ, AK, AJ, etc. You are considered to be tight. Tight means that you wait for strong starting hands in good position. Loose players have a much broader range of starting hands and are willing to bet from almost any position.

Passive and aggressive refers to your betting style. If you are dealt a pair of kings and decide to just limp in, or bet only a small amount, then you’re considered passive. If you get a similar hand and decide to bet big with it, then you are considered to be aggressive.

When you are starting out in poker, you want to play tight aggressive – wait for strong starting hands and play them aggressively.

It’s important to keep in mind that as you play you should mix up your playing style to keep your opponents on their toes. They will most likely be doing the same. Once someone has your playing style figured out, it’s not difficult to beat you.

How to beat different player types
The best way to beat a player who you have identified as tight or aggressive is play the opposite style against them. If they are playing aggressive, wait for strong cards and let them hang themselves. If they are playing tight, open up lots of pots with raises if they play back at you – watch out – they most likely have a good hand.

Loose aggressive
loose aggressive players are also known as maniacs at the table. You never know what they’re holding because of their loose starting hand requirements and they’ll make you pay to make it to the show down – are they holding A-K or 3-8? That’s the beauty of being loose aggressive, everyone at the table fears you and what you might be holding.

Maniacs will play a lot of hands – that’s how to spot them. If you happen to be playing with a maniac just wait until you have a premium hand. You probably won’t have to bet out, just let them do the betting and watch them go broke.

A loose aggressive player tends to go all in a lot, so you can afford to fold all your marginal hands and wait for that one special hand that will bust them and win back all your money - and all of theirs!

Tight passive
A tight passive player will not play in very many hands at all. They will only play premium hands and even then, they’ll only bet out when they hit something decent on the flop. These types of players are easy to beat. You can bluff them with almost anything, if they call or come back over the top of you – get ready to fold (unless you hit a monster) because you know they have something strong. If this player bets out – fold because they have something very strong.

Tight aggressive
This is the sweet spot and where you should aim to play most of your hands. The tight aggressive player is patient and will wait until they have a strong starting hand, then bet big and milk it for everything it’s worth.

If you think your opponents are playing tight aggressive, try playing loose aggressive against them for a while. Raise them with less than perfect cards before the flop and steal their blinds. You know they’ll only play back at you with a monster hand at which point you can just fold. Once they realize what you’re doing they will start playing back at you a lot more and you can switch back to tight aggressive.

Loose Passive
Unless you’re playing at the very low limit tables, you usually won’t see too many loose passive players. Loose passive is the sign of a fish – an absolute beginner. They’ll see a flop with just about anything and fold to any bet if they don’t connect with the flop. This player can be dangerous because they don’t know how to play properly and won’t make rational decisions – you can’t read them and don’t know whether they have 2-7 off suit or a pair of queens.

The best way to play these kinds of players is to keep raising them. If they think they have any kind of hand they will keep calling, they usually won’t raise, but they may go all in like they saw on TV. Loose passive players will call you all the way to the river with a pair of 2’s or with 3 aces, they will happily check it down once there’s some money in the pot.