There are a number of different types of poker player and it’s important to know what type of player your opponent is.



Players can be split into four different categories. loose aggressive, tight aggressive, loose passive, tight passive. Loose and tight can be seen as two sides of the same coin. Aggressive and passive can be seen as two sides of a different coin.









Loose players tend to play a lot more hands. They will play with relatively weak hole cards and hope to catch something on the flop. Conversely, in a ten handed game, a tight player will fold 80-90% of the hole cards he is dealt. When a tight player is involved in a pot you can normally give him credit for reasonably strong hole cards.



Aggressive players love to pile on the pressure. If you are involved in a pot with an aggressive player you are probably going to have to call some pretty hefty bets. Passive players on the other hand like to play hands as cheaply as possible. They don’t bet very often, but they will often call bets. For this reason it can be difficult to bluff a passive player as they will often call you down to the showdown.



In his book, Play Poker Like The Pros, Phil Helmuth assigns characters to different types of player. He splits them into four different personalities:



The Jackal:



The jackal is often viewed as a crazy player, but he can use this to his advantage. He plays a very loose, aggressive game. The best defence against a jackal is to play only quality cards. Wait for a big hand and then let the jackal do the betting for you.



The Lion:



The lion is a solid player. He will normally wait for good cards and then bet them hard. It’s quite difficult to make money from a lion. The best tactic to employ is probably a loose aggressive one. Playing like a jackal will win you lots of small pots, but if the lion plays back then proceed with extreme caution.



The Elephant:



The third style described by Phil Helmuth is the elephant, a loose, passive player. You will find that many players in your average poker game are elephants. They never quite believe that you have the goods, so they will often call you down to the river, just to see what you have. The only way to play against an elephant is tight aggressive. Wait for a big hand, bet it and you will normally be paid off handsomely. Never bluff an elephant.



The Mouse:



The final character is the mouse. The mouse plays a tight, passive style. You won’t see him in many pots and if he ever dares to bet it’s very easy to fold. He will probably have the nuts (The best possible poker hand, given the cards on the board). You will never make a lot of money from a mouse, but likewise, you’re not likely to lose much to him either.



Which character should you adopt?



Of all the styles the lion is probably the most profitable, although the jackal can be quite profitable if he’s sitting at a fairly tight table. The mouse and elephant are probably the least profitable. The mouse will struggle to make his big hands pay because everyone will be scared off as soon as he enters the pot. The elephant will win some big pots, but will probably squander all of his winnings and more calling his opponents down with mediocre hands.



As a general rule a reasonably tight, aggressive style will pay good dividends, but there re no hard and fast rules. If you’re in a game full of mice, then you can adopt the jackal character and dominate the table. If however, you’re in a game full of jackals, then you may be able to play the role of a mouse and use their aggressiveness against them.



As a general rule, play in an opposite manner to the majority of the players at the table.

By: Rob Jenkins

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Rob Jenkins runs the article directory, www.informationinvasion.com and the music retail company, www.kangoo.co.uk