Observing Different Poker Playing Styles To Better Your Game

Many USA players think of poker as just being a card game and fail to consider the poker playing styles of their competition. When it comes down to it, this is more of a game of people acting out their personalities with cards. There are several basic tells that exist and learning how to spot them will make you much better. This is one of the reasons that it is often called a game of skill rather than luck.

Observation is the key to winning. In order to determine the style of a person it is important to observe their general tendencies toward each hand. The more you learn about your opponent the better off you will be in the long run. Every action your opponent takes during the game is a clue to their tendencies. The best poker players tend to be the ones that pay the most attention to what their opponents are doing and less attention to the cards that they have been dealt.

Styles can be broken into two primary factors. These are passive versus aggressive and tight versus loose. The player's passiveness or aggressiveness is defined by how well they tolerate risk. A passive person tends to play the game with a fear of losing where an aggressive participant is going to raise more often and is not afraid to put their chips at risk.

When considering tight versus loose folks, it all comes down to hand selection. A person who keeps tight will typically only stick around for only a few hands. A loose participant is typically willing to stay in for almost anything at any point. When up against someone who is tight or loose, it is important to note that this definition does not provide you with how they are going to play, but simply refers to the types of hands in which they engage; they may engage in a small range or a large range and you can use this information to your advantage.

Observation of your opponents will allow you to categorize your opponent based on what you see them do. Every person that comes to your table is going to have some of these factors. The first step in determining their poker playing style is to determine whether or not they are tight or loose. From there it is important to watch exactly how they use each of their hands. A passive person will call and check while an aggressive person is going to raise the pot. Learning this small amount about your opponents will help you become better.