Texas hold’em – Playing styles

What does this mean? It means that poker is a complex game and if you want to play it in a sophisticated way you can’t be to simplistic in your strategy.

Playing the cards 
This is the most obvious part. But you must never forget it: don’t be blind for the cards and believe that a frequently bluffing player never has a good hand – he will!

Otherwise playing the cards is much about don’t getting naive and relying on luck. You must learn to show sound judgement about what’s playable and not if you trying to be a solid poker player.

Playing the player
We have just touched the subject about the frequently bluffing player and it was told that this player too certainly gets big hands. But in overall you mustn’t treat all players in the same way.

It’s time to present for you the four common known categories of players. Here they are:

1. Tight-passive
2. Loose-passive
3. Loose-aggressive
4. Tight-aggressive

As you understand, this is a kind of generalization, although it’s an appropriate way to list the different types of players you will meat in your games. 

Let’s begin with the first, the tight-passive player. On the top of the list but hardly the most challenging player to meet. Likely the opposite, because against this player you can be in charge if you doing your job. And your job is here to be aggressive and bluff as you can easily steal pots from this cautious player who often folds then you bet. Consequently: when this player finally bets it’s reasonable to think that he has a strong hand and you should in most cases quickly fold.

Neither the second type, the loose-passive player should be a big treat to you. But against this player bluffing is for no use – he just call you. Therefore you must show patience until you get a great hand. When you get it, bet to build up a pot, the loose-passive player will often call you and there’s no easier way to be profitable. 

As you understand none of these two types will play mind games with you. But the third type, the loose-aggressive player is more problematic. He’s like the rebel who doesn’t follow the rules. He doesn’t seem to bother with odds, and he plays almost every hand like it was a “monster”.

You have two choices against this player. One way is to try to put him over the edge straight away. This is very tempting, but then you’re playing in his arena. If you want to be a regularly winner you have to cut him out in a more surgical manner. This demands patience, but when you get the hand you been waiting for – it doesn’t have to be a full house, but it’s got to be something more than the top pair with a low kicker – you just let him do his usual raises and after the last card you finally give him the deadly blow. Accept losing small pots to the loose-aggressive player and wait for the big ones you going to win.

The last type, the tight-aggressive player, is probably the style you want to take upon in some kind of shape. This approach to the game results in a solid play and will give profit in the long run. To accomplish it you must choose the right starting hands to play and then make efficient decisions that affect the actions on the board to your advantage. 

   
       
 
 
 
 
   Texas hold’em rules
   Introduction
   Strategies beginner
     Basic strategy
     Playing styles
     Shorthanded & longhanded
     Limit, No limit & Pot limit
     Starting hands
   
Strategies advanced
     Cash game
     Sit n go
     Tournaments
     Heads up
     EV
   Odds
     Pot odds & implicit odds
     Probabilities
   Money management
   Psychology
     Discipline
     Planing
     The character
 
   Poker online
     Introduction
     Rake
     Rakeback
     Bonus systems
     Freerolls
     Tells
     Cheating
 
     
  Playing styles  
     
 

When you meet this player your mission is to learn him faster then he learns you. It’s also a good idea to partly avoid him and focus on the weaker players. Know how to play the player includes to know which players to play. In poker you want the money, not taking scalps.

 
     
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