Understanding Different Playing Styles

There are many different playing styles. Each poker player has there own style that is unique. However, in general you can categorize them into 4 different "basic" styles.

Loose and Tight

These refer to the players starting hands requirements

Passive and Aggressive

These refer to a players betting style.

Understanding these style is very important when you decide who you are playing against. By playing with your table opponents you watch them over a period of time and can decide which approach each one fits into better. Once you have categorized them in your mind you can then decide what strategy you want to use against them to ensure your own success.

The Loose Player

Known for relying more on chance than strategy or skill, a loose player plays in a lot of hands, usually far too many to be a consistent winner. This type of player seems incapable of folding pre-flop and is always right smack dab in the middle of the action. Lucky draws are the big money-makers for Miss Loosey, and then she’ll usually slide her way right back down to a short stack. At a table with Miss Loosey and her extended family, pretty good cards become less valuable because nobody ever folds!

The Tight Player

Tight players have been known to patiently lie in wait for hours before going in for the kill and are very selective about starting hand requirements (meaning best odds for best hand or fold). She’ll win small pots here and there, but only the small ones, because no one (in their right mind) would go head to head with someone who only plays the nuts. In short, when this player and her friends make a wager, get the heck out of Dodge!

The Passive Player

Passive players will very rarely raise, preferring instead to check or call. It’s almost as if they really want to play, but are afraid to commit for fear of losing. They will only bet with a good hand, and playing at a table with the Predictable family can be as exciting as Thanksgiving in Little House on the Prairie.

The Aggressive Player

Aggressive players raise better than they do anything else and they are extremely unpredictable. They can be a challenge because if there’s any inkling that thier hole cards might win (and, mathematically, there’s always some chance), she’ll raise like there’s no tomorrow. This unpredictability gives her a big edge when she bluffs, and the only thing about her that is consistent is the bipolar fluctuation of her stacks.

To learn more about this playing style and all the other great topics on this site: go to To Understand Playing Styles :Go to Poker Guide Book