Types of Poker Play

Understanding the many types of poker play and the various categories of poker play is critical if you’re interested in improving your poker play. Just as there are virtually endless versions of the game of poker, so are there many varieties of poker play. With just some brief but in-depth observation of you opponents’ tendencies and behavior, you’ll be able to bet smarter and win more pots. Here’s a list of some of the styles of poker play you might encounter.

Wild Man: Drinks heavily and becomes increasingly rude and disruptive. Celebrates openly when he wins and tries to disturb the concentration of others when he holds a weak hand. His fashion of poker play is to create distractions and then bet big.

Conversationalist: Talking is just as important as playing to this person. His technique of poker play is to talk loudly about his hand and everyone else’s as well. Uses talking as a tactic to throw opponents off-balance.

Analyzer: His style of poker play is excruciatingly slow because he has to think through each hand in excruciating detail. Often overthinks and fails to bet when he has a decent hand. Although canny, often overprocesses the details of his hand and others.

Bag of Trickster: Untrustworthy because he constantly bluffs. Lies and deceives only short of cheating. Often plays the opposite of what he should – for example, plays weak when he has a strong hand. Embraces a dangerous method of poker play.

Moody Man: Difficult to predict due to volatility. Plays with emotion, not discipline. Vulnerable, occasional drinker.

Master Manipulator: Deceptive control freak who keeps everyone off balance. Consciously uses both verbal and body language to distract others while betraying little of himself.

Aggressor: Dedicated frequent gambler. Prone to high raises and frequent calls. Attempts to intimidate opponents with repeated and sudden aggressive moves like going all in.

Despite all these classes of poker play, these types of poker player are vulnerable to attack. Once you understand their weaknesses, you can exploit their fault-ridden mode of poker play to benefit yourself.