The Five Kinds of Poker Opponents (and How to Beat Them!)

These days, poker is a worldwide juggernaut. Any casino worth its salt, whether online or brick-and-mortar, will offer its patrons at least one poker table. Day or night. Anywhere in the world.

The beauty of the game is its unmatchable variation: even with a life time of experience, there’s no such thing as playing the same hand twice. With that said, experienced players know that

We certainly recommend studying the game and mastering the mathematics involved, but at the end of the day what distinguishes poker from other forms of casino gambling is that it’s played against other opponents.

Here is breakdown of the kinds of adversaries out there…

…and how to handle them.

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Type 1: Loose, ive

As the classic poker movie Rounders says: “if you can’t spot the sucker in the first half hour, you are the sucker.”

Well, most suckers play loose and ive. There is a lot of money to be made against this type of adversary.

They’re also known as Calling Stations.

Many amateurs fall into this category: they view poker as a fun activity, and they don’t mind parting with some money to enjoy it. They call a lot of hands, enjoying the action and hoping for a dramatic showdown, but seldom raise.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with this attitude…

… but a skilled player can take serious advantage and use it to line their pockets.

Concerned that you might be the sucker? Here’s how to avoid the mistakes associated with loose and ive style of play.

How to sink the calling station:

Just allow them to beat themselves! This kind of opponent tends to call a lot of small- or medium-sized bets with low-to-medium-value hands… but big bets scare them away. So make small or medium-sized bets when you want them to call (ie when your hand is strong), and make larger ones when you want them to fold (when your hand is weak).

Enemy stacks can be sometimes obliterated without a showdown against this kind of opponent, just by getting them to call early raises and buying the pot after the flop.

Type 2: Loose, Aggressive

The loose and aggressive (LAG in poker terminology) opponent comes in all shapes and sizes. Maniacs fall into this category, throwing their money around like there’s no tomorrow and playing all kinds of terrible hands…

…but so do somevery skilled professionals.

There can be a lot of theatrics and bravado involved in this style. But all that theater may conceal a sharp poker mind. Don’t assume that wild opponents are necessarily undisciplined!

LAGS can be very frustrating adversaries, but they can also generate tremendous betting action.

How to beat LAGs and maniacs:

Use their aggression against them. Play tighter than you usually would against them (folding more often pre-flop), then when your hand is made, allow the wild man (or woman) to make your bets for you.

It’s also possible to use a LAG opponent to mask your intentions against the other players at the table. If their raises are getting called, but yours are respected, then let them do the raising!

At other times, the presence of a LAG will loosen up an entire table. In situations like this, it can be advantageous to tighten up and play fewer hands, knowing that you can expect action when those aces finally arrive.

Type 3: Tight, ive

Tight and ive adversaries can be the most frustrating type of opponent. They may be called “rocks,” because they just sit there, unresponsive.

Rocks don’t raise very often, and almost never re-raise. They usually only play excellent starting hands, but won’t hesitate to throw them away after the flop if they have any sense of being beaten.

It can hard to make big profits against tight and ive opponents, but one can at least get the better of them.

How to crack the rocks:

First of all, on the rare occasions a rock does bet or raise, it’s best to run away unless you hold phenomenal cards. By definition, this style of opponent seldom bluffs, so you can bet (literally) that they have a monster when they turn aggressive.

On all other hands, though, the strategy is easy: use their ivity against them. If you’re drawing, just check, since you’ll likely see the next card for free.

Raise against their blinds, knowing they’re unlikely to defend them.

Make slightly larger bets than usual after the flop, knowing they’re more likely than other opponents to let you buy the pot.

Type 4: Tight, aggressive

Tight and aggressive (TAG) is the poker most top amateurs aspire to. When one of these opponents is sharp, they can be an exceedingly difficult nut to crack.

The advantages of this approach are clear: by playing only strong starting hands, losses are limited and the game is simplified. What’s more, aggression can mask hole cards – TAG players can win pots both by raising with the best hand and by making their opponents fold.

With that said, there are still weaknesses that can be exploited.

How to beat the TAG:

If one advantage of TAG play is simplifying the game, this same property can be turned against a TAG opponent: their hands can become easily readable.

If they’re only likely to open with one of 25 possible hands, it’s easy to know what you might be up against, then to exploit this information.

As when playing LAG opponents, use their aggression to your advantage. Let their raises mask your hands against other players, and look for opportunities to re-raise them when their aggressive style leaves them over-extended.

Oh, and try to steal their blinds.

Type 5: Bots

That’s right – the fifth type of opponent isn’t even human! These days, online players have to contend with AI at the poker table. Part of being a student of today’s game is knowing how to handle these kinds of challenges.

There are two key things to when encountering an AI opponent:

One, they are not able to vary their play. So, watch what they do, and when you see patterns emerge, exploit them!

Two, they are highly illegal. Reporting them to site may see some or all of their winnings redistributed your way.