Always play the player by knowing their type, predicting their reactions, and exploiting their tendencies before you put a single chip in the pot.

Listen to podcast episode #561 as you follow along below:

Always Play the Player

Play the player with every action you take. Don’t just look down at JTs in the CO and call based solely on hand strength. You must also consider the open-raiser with their tendencies, position and bet size. Plus, consider these factors for the players yet to act on the BTN, the SB and the BB. Every bit of information must influence your decision to call, fold or raise.

When Calling in the CO: Sure, JTs is a valid hand to call. But realize that your call says, “I want to play the flop against you, Mr. Raiser.” Your JTs is more likely to whiff the flop than hit a strong top pair or great draw, so what’s your post-flop plan to steal from Mr. Raiser? What tendencies of his can you exploit? And, your weak hand call in the CO gives a great squeezing opportunity for the BTN, SB and BB… are they capable of seizing this “dead money” chance to squeeze?

When Open-Raising: You’re challenging the blinds (and others yet to act). Before opening, think about how these players are likely to respond in their given position. Are they tight and likely to fold? Are there lots of fish so you can expect calls and a multi-way flop? What’s your plan if the SB 3bets?

When 3betting: You’re challenging the open-raiser. Is he likely to fold or call? Is he capable of 4bet bluffing, and if he does, how will you respond? What’s your plan to steal if he calls the 3bet but you whiff the flop? Will either of the fishy blinds possibly muck up the situation by cold calling your 3bet?

The Basic Player Types

Spotting player types, and using exploits against their general tendencies, is key to playing the player.

Tight-Aggressive (TAG): Plays few hands aggressively. Look for 12/10 or 18/15 stats with sub-8% 3bet. They fold often versus steals but are capable of 3bet bluffing. They’re positionally aware, so it’s easier to bluff them when OOP post-flop. They see “monsters under the bed”, so if you suspect weakness, attack them post-flop. I color-code their HUD yellow.

Loose-Aggressive (LAG): Plays ~25-35% of hands with aggression. Look for 25/21 or 31/23 with 3bet > 8%. Capable of 3bet bluffing a lot and wider for value. They’ll cbet and barrel when they suspect weakness, especially with position. They can mix in large bets for value or bluff to try and throw you off. I tag them orange.

Loose-Passive (Fish): Your best targets. High VPIP, low aggression (30/6, 42/7, 75/4). Post-flop calling stations, so bluff less often, but go for max value with your best hands. I tag them green.

Gambler (ultra-LAG): These are very loose and very aggressive players (60/35 with 16% 3bet). Try to play them IP as often as possible. They’ll try aggression with anything playable. Their spewy tendencies can earn big value when you don’t believe their big bets/raises post-flop. I tag them purple.

Ultra-Tight (Nit): Rare players, but look for 10/8 or 9/1 stats. Easy to bluff, but if they put in big chips, they have the goods. I use red.

Preflop Tendencies Flow Into Post-flop

Tight preflop players fold a lot post-flop.

Aggressive players continue betting.

Calling stations keep calling with pairs and draws.

Tool: Player Types Tick Sheet

Use this 5-column Player Type tick sheet.

Before stealing from the BTN, tick the player types for the SB and BB. Before calling or 3betting, make a tick mark for the open-raiser. Then when you get to post-flop play, make tick marks for additional players involved.

This habit keeps you focused on your real targets: the players, not just your cards.

Tips for Playing the Player

Know who you’re targeting with every hand you enter. Pay attention from the start. Even within just 20 hands, you can categorize most players.

Tag players. Use colors or symbols for fast recognition if your site allows, and highlight their HUD panel in color that makes sense to you.

Take Action

Study 5 Hands

Open 5 hands where you saw the flop, and tag every player at each table by type using a HUD panel color. Also, use the Player Type tick sheet and mark the player types you faced on the flop. Did your plays make sense given who you were up against and their tendencies?

Take note of mistakes made so you can work to not repeat them.

Practice

Play a 1-2 table Player Type focus session with the tick sheet in hand. Make tick marks as outlined above, and strive to make player type exploitative plays to win more pots and extract more value.

PokerTracker 4 Stats Analysis Series on YouTube

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