The Better Poker Series - Different styles of play The Ryder Cup heads to Ireland The Better Poker Series - Different styles of play

This is the first of a series of articles outlining the basic strategies of poker. Poker is notorious for being a game that can be learnt in a matter of minutes, yet it is almost impossible to master. However, learning some of the simple yet fundamental workings can help you on your way to becoming a poker shark!

Another great thing about poker is that it is a meritocracy, yet anyone can win on a given day. A player who has just started playing can beat a professional, but it is likely than over a long period of time the professional would win, as the element of 'luck' would begin to factor out.

Online poker is a great way to learn the game from the comfort of your own home. Two recent World Series of Poker champions qualified online. Accountant and amateur poker player Chris Moneymaker made headlines worldwide in 2003 when through a stake of just $40 he managed to qualify and then win $2,500,000. In 2004, patent lawyer Greg Raymer scooped an amazing $5,000,000 having also qualified online.

However to be a successful player over the long term, you must be able to master the many skills and strategies that poker demands. These include working out pot odds, bluffing, playing position, appropriate aggression, reading hands and choosing the right games. These skills will be covered in greater detail in the forthcoming articles.

In this article we will cover, very importantly, how to identify your natural style of play, and that of your opponents.

Here is a brief summary of the four major poker styles:

Style 1 - The Rock

Rocks are not profitable to play with. They sit waiting for great cards folding the majority of their hands. You can grind out a small profit playing this way, but good players learn to avoid getting into hands with Rocks, and can bluff them out of hands. Being a Rock can, however, be essential to survival in the first half of a large online tournament.

Benefits of playing this way

• You will grind out small wins most of the time
• You will win a lot of pots you are involved with because you only play very good hands
• You will never lose much

How to identify them

• They will play very few hands
• They bet cautiously
• They often show cards and you think, "why didn't they bet?"
• They rarely get involved in player chat

Benefits of identifying them

• So you don't call them with weak hands
• You will be able to bluff them out of pots when they have weak hands
• They are often easy to read as they only raise with excellent hands and rarely bluff

Style 2 - Calling Station

Everyone likes to play with a calling station. In the long term, you will almost always lose playing this way. Calling Stations get involved in nearly every pot, simply calling their opponents bet. They bet with weak hands, rarely bluff and generally lack card-reading skills.

Benefits of playing this way

• There is almost no benefit of playing this way if you are trying to win a tournament or make a profit, except if you want to have fun and play lots of hands, and are not worried about the consequences

How to identify them

• They will be involved in the majority of hands calling nearly all bets even with very weak hands
• They appear more interested in socialising than winning

Benefits of identifying them

• They will call when they are clearly beaten so you can bet against them assuming they will call
• They will call with nearly anything, so you should not try and bluff them when you have a weak hand
• They rarely bluff so when they do bet they usually have at least an average hand

Style 3 - The Maniac

Maniacs are addicted to action and raise and re-raise with virtually any hand. They will occasionally have massive wins but the majority of the time they lose. They are unpredictable and difficult to read. Nobody can win as much, or as quickly, as a Maniac. When they hit cards they will get paid because opponents constantly assume they are bluffing or overplaying hands.

Benefits of playing this way

• When you do win, you will win big because you will get lots of action when you get good cards
• You will have fun and be able to intimidate a lot of players by making hands expensive to play

How to identify them

• They raise and re-raise, and play the majority of the hands
• They bluff a lot and often show extremely weak hands when called

Benefits of identifying them

• When you have a strong hand you can often let the Maniac do the betting for you to increase the pot
• You can call them with weaker hands than you would against a Rock or Stone Killer because there is a good chance they are bluffing or overplaying weak hands
• If you can get involved in hands with this style of player when you have good hands, it can be extremely profitable, as they will often try and bet you out of the hand

Style 4 - The Stone Killer

Stone Killers, also often referred to as "tight aggressive", are the players you can't beat in the long run. Nearly all top professionals play this style of poker. They wait until they have a strong hand and attack. The Stone Killers style exemplifies poker's most basic rule. "Never do anything without an edge, then take maximum advantage of that edge."

Benefits of playing this way

• You will win most of the time, because you play strong hands extremely aggressively and maximize your profit
• Players will be scared of your style of play because they know you play good hands well

How to identify them

• They play aggressively with strong hands
• They are often winning on the table you are on
• Players respect their bets and pass good hands against them

Benefits of identifying them

• The main benefit of identifying players with this style is that you will learn to avoid playing against them unless you are in an extremely strong position. Playing average or weak hands against them will invariably lead to you losing.

Knowing of all of these styles can be helpful on your journey to becoming a profitable poker player. Not only will it allow you to identify how other people play and exploit it, you will be able to identify what kind of player you are how you should go about improving.

When playing a tournament you must adjust your strategy throughout. If you are trying to increase your chips fast it can be beneficial to play like a Maniac or Calling Station because you will be involved in most hands. Using the style of a Stone Killer has its obvious benefits which is why most professionals play this way. But at times, especially in tournaments, it is important to play like a Rock. For example if you are down to the last 15 players and your aim is to make the last 10 places, this would be the best tactic. By showing patience, and only playing when you have amazing cards, it is likely you will achieve this goal.

Of course the four styles described above are the extremes and many players will fall in between these categories.

Consider the following questions:

Would you rather call a massive bet from a Maniac or a Rock? The answer is, of course, a Maniac, because it is far more likely they are bluffing or playing with a weaker hand.

Would you try and bluff a Calling Station? The answer is no, because by identifying that an opponent plays this way, you will know that they are likely to call your bluff.

Start studying and identifying other poker player's style as soon as possible and, if you can, make notes on all the players you come across. When you sit at their table during a big tournament these notes will come in handy and they may give you the edge needed to beat them.

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