Player Types and Reading Players in Texas Holdem Poker
By: DAN BROWN

Player Types and Reading Players in Holdem

Beginning No-Limit Texas Holdem Poker players start off primarily trying to learn hand values and proper betting. Most of their time is primarily spent focusing on playing their own hand. Any successful Holdem player will tell you that in order to be successful; you need to be able to read people as well as cards. This article will concentrate on "reading the player."

First you will encounter what is known as a calling station. This player is also referred to as a weak-passive player. This is the player that will call a big raise with trash cards and continue to call you down, even if they think they are beat. Calling stations take the ATC strategy. That is known as the "any two cards" strategy. This player will likely play every single hand, or nearly every single hand. If you hear someone comment, "Wow, you actually folded a hand," then you have found this player.

Next you will have the gambler. A gambler differs from a calling station in the fact that they will play their hands very aggressive. This type of player will raise and maybe even reraise with any two cards. They will also continue the same type of betting style on all streets. The gambler is tough to put on a hand as they will usually play pocket aces the same way that he’ll play seven deuce offsuit. When this type of player is running hot, they will usually make a big score and you will see wild fluctuations in your bankroll. However, over time you will notice that this player walks away from the table not only a loser, but usually down several buy-ins.

Rocks are typically the easiest players to spot at a table. They do not play many hands and when they do, they usually have a very strong hand. Rocks tend to play their hands very passively. They don’t do a lot of raising. When they do raise, it’s usually with the nuts. With a rock, it’s ABC poker all the way, but lacking a killer instinct.

The next type of player is a solid tight-aggressive player. He is the shark of the table. This player is selective with the hands that he plays, but is not shy about betting his hands either. A shark will not only play strong hands, but will also play position to his advantage. This player also has all the tools that a strong player should have such as bluffing and check-raising. A shark is usually the player at the table that either slowly builds his stack over time, or stacks players such as the Gambler when they challenge him with an inferior holding.

How do you play these different types of players? Let’s take a look at each player individually. As with any poker game, these are not hard and fast laws, but guidelines to help get you on the path to learning to read other players.

The calling station is one of the most frustrating types of players to play against. With their tendencies to stay in a hand to the end regardless of their hand, sometimes you will tend to get outdrawn by weaker holdings or long shot draws. You will want this type of player sitting to your right so that you can act after them. Punish a calling station and make them commit their money to see their long shot draws. Also, you need to be careful when certain draws hit on the board, especially on the river.

Gamblers may seem frustrating, but playing patient and solid poker is typically the best strategy with these players. Some players like to see a wider range of hands and try to get lucky just as it appears that the gambler is doing. This type of thinking just leads to long term bankroll reduction. You want to be to the left of a gambler. This way, you can get out of hands with inferior holdings and either trap him or make him pay when you have him crushed.

Playing rocks is part skill and part evasion. First, when you play against a rock, you can sometimes loosen up your holdings depending on the situation. If you are to the rocks left, you will have position on them and can sometimes outplay them or even outflop them. Watching a rock’s betting pattern is crucial in determining the best play. How do they bet the flop when they hit it? Are they capable of a check-raise? Do they fold to a bet on the flop if they don’t hit or if over cards hit? Knowing the answers to these questions will allow you to make plays at pots when it is checked to you. The evasion portion of playing a rock is simple. If a rock plays back at you, get out of the hand unless you have the nuts. Otherwise, you are going to lose a large portion of the time.

Playing a shark will put your skills to the test. You need to pay careful attention to how they are playing and try to place them on a range of hands. Use position to your advantage when playing a shark. Also, be careful with the range of hands that you play. A shark may have a wide hand range, but at the same time, they have the capacity to change up their play to adapt to the situation. If you think you are beat in a hand, get out. Do not chase hands without sufficient odds against a shark. You need to play the same way against a shark as he would against you.

As you move forward in your game, you will need to develop all skills in order to be a successful player. Reading other players is the most important skill in becoming a successful poker player. Daniel Negreanu is a prime example of a player that is an expert at reading players. Get to know the players at your table, and then use that knowledge to put their money into your pockets.

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