Poker Personalities

In the introductory lesson we mentioned that poker is not just a card game, but a game of people played with cards. As you progress through the stages towards poker expertise, you will experience moments when you realize how powerful this statement is. While many of the lessons in this beginner’s poker course are geared toward teaching the mechanics of the cards, odds and betting, this lesson will begin to expose you to the psychological side of the game.

In order to understand how to "play the player" and not just the cards, we will start with identifying some of the main player types you will encounter. While some players will fall neatly into a certain category, most players will embody multiple traits. In order to pick up on these traits, it is essential to observe your opponents betting patterns and tendencies while you are both in and out of a hand.

Basic Personality Types

Each poker player can be broken down into two primary factors which make up the majority of their personality type. They are as follows:

The first primary factor (loose versus tight) is very often shown in a players starting hand selection. Tight poker players usually play a small number of only the best hands, what we call premium hands. Loose poker players will play a wide variety of hands. A players passiveness or aggression is displayed in their risk tolerance. Passive players tend to avoid confrontation, whereas aggressive players are usually betting or raising, and are not afraid to put chips at risk.

Each poker player you encounter will have some degree in which these factors make up their personality, but you will typically see five general personality combinations:

Personality Type	How to Recognize Them
Tight Passive (aka Weak Passive)	Doesn’t play many pots and will often just call pre-flop. Will often fold to scare cards (such as an Ace). Plays with a fear of losing. Will only stay in a pot if they have a strong hand.
Loose Passive	Limps into lots of pots. Will call a large raise just to see a flop. Will call most bets when they hit any type of hand.
Tight Aggressive (TAG)	Doesn’t play many pots, but will play aggressively.
Loose Aggressive (LAG)	Tends to raise or re-raise a wide variety of hands pre-flop. Will often bet on most flops. Will bluff a high percentage of the time.
Loose Aggressive/Passive	This type of player will raise a lot of hands pre-flop. They will often give up on the flop or turn. Typically these are former TAGs or tight passives trying to experiment with looser play but are not comfortable committing to their aggression.

So, What’s the Best Style?

The best poker players adjust their style to the players at the table and the conditions of the game. Sometimes it’s best to be LAG and sometimes it’s better to tighten up. It’s often said that if you’re playing on a table full of tight players, it’s best to loosen up, but if you’re playing on a table full of aggressive players then it’s best to play tight, and catch them in the act. On the whole the best poker players in the world will say it’s almost always best to be aggressive. But you’ll discover your own natural style, and what works best for you.

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Conclusion

This beginner lesson was designed to help you identify some of the basic personality types based on the cards they play, and we’ll be expanding upon this theme later on in the course. When you reach the next level (intermediate) we’ll be talk about poker players based on psychological and emotional tendencies, as well as how to play poker against tight and aggressive players. In fact we have a whole module dedicated to "playing the player". There is a lot to learn, but for now just take note of what you’ve learned in this lesson and be aware of the basic personality types who play poker, and when you’re ready, move onto the next module where you’ll learn some of the "Key Concepts in Poker". We shall revisit personality types and the psychology of poker in due course.

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