There exist two primary features in opponents’ playing styles:
1. Starting hands – begs the question if the opponent plays loose, which means the player plays many hands or if the opponent plays tight, that is if they start with a few hands play.
2. Betting pattern – begs the question if the opponent is aggressive, which means the the player frequently calls bets, or if the opponent is passive, that is if they rarely bet.
The meaning of starting hands is the two hole cards which the opponent doesn’t fold pre-flop. Quality of the starting hands is a significant requirement for a tight player who’s cautious, while playing them, unlike a loose player who plays most of the starting hands he gets.
A poker player is considered to be loose if s/he plays the top 40% of the hole cards, s/he has and is supposed to be tight, if the poker player only plays 15% of the hole cards he gets.
From these two classifications, we derive the four major playing styles of poker:
- Loose-passive (Calling Station)
- Loose-aggressive (The LAG)
- Tight-passive (The Rock)
- Tight-aggressive (The TAG)
The Calling Station
This style of play is popular with beginners and involves many starting hands, but few bets. This style emphasizes caution by not betting if they hit the flop, due to fear of their opponents’ folding. They can call bets in case they miss the flop since the opponent could have called a bluff or the player can hit the turn.
However, the calling station type of play has its shortcoming, with the major one being the impossibility to make a profit. Profits are limited to a minimum, with no protection from draws to the made hands. A player using this type of play is also disadvantaged by holding only the second best hand.
Calling station also has its benefits like in a case of large stacks against several passive players, the profit from high odds can be enormous. Also, aggressive players sitting on the same table could control the betting.
The LAG
Unlike the calling station, this style of play is a high-risk strategy popular with pros who often succeed. It involves playing many hands, with frequent bets and raises, but hardly calling bets.
In this strategy, the player has to be aware of when he’s beaten to fold his hands, or else run the risk of losing a massive load of money.
An experienced player could have an optimal strategy against a LAG player, which is playing more hands, allowing a pre-flop against his many starting hands. The opponent can isolate the LAG when s/he decides to bet before the flop. The opponent can also wait and raise their bet if the LAG player has the position on them.
This strategy, however, has a benefit to the player, since it becomes difficult to read them due to the several starting hands. Opponents also tend to think the LAG player is always bluffing and he could win by the opponents folding or with playing the best hand.
The Rock
A player using this style of play only plays a few hands and barely bets or raises. Such a player often holds a strong hand if they act.
This style of play reduces losses, due to limited starting hands. In a sitting of several aggressive players, a rock is advantaged, since he lets them take care of play, thus he needs not bet himself.
Be warned, however: good hands don’t guarantee the Rock player maximum profits.
The TAG
The TAG style of play involves few hands and many bets and raises, but seldom making calls. A poker player who uses the TAG style of play is selective and precise in dealing their starting cards.
However, the tightness of the style makes it easily adaptable to the opponents and the hand ranges easily readable. A TAG player holding a ‘not very strong’ hand runs a risk to losing the whole stack.
The TAG is the most successful style of play, due to restrained and good starting hands, limiting losses, making the game simpler, which allows multi-tabling. A TAG strategist is eligible to win by holding, or if the opponent is forced to fold.
There are an additional two types of players commonly known as the Nit and the Maniac.
- The Nit – is a type of player with a cowardly style of play, who folds the least starting hands – less than 15% – and plays to bets made by the opponents. Most Rock and TAG players are Nit-type, often calling a bet while holding a steady hand.
- The Maniac – as the name suggests, this type of player is very loose and also really aggressive. The trick behind beating this kind of player is for the opponent to keep his/her cool. If the maniac wins, avoid tilt, if the maniac wins by cards for example 64s. In the long run, Maniacs eventually lose all their chips to other cautious players on the table.
Players mustn’t necessarily fit into a specific group, but most adjust according to the cards they have on their hands. The first important step is to check to determine the type of play of the opponents, by observing their tendencies and picking up their personality-types.
This will allow accuracy in interpreting their actions – making it easier to know if they’re straightforward or tricky, knowing when they’re bluffing and when they aren’t.
While choosing a style of play, a poker player should opt for one that suits their personality away from the table, but also one which is ultimately the most profitable. Notably, the best and most experienced poker players are forced to adjust to the opponents’ style of play on the table and the game conditions, so flexibility is a significant asset to a poker player.