Player Profiles
Although there are millions of poker players out there, most of their playing styles can be classified into four categories:
The calling station, the maniac, the mouse, and the rounder.
Here are some tips on how to identify and play against these four types of players.
The Calling Station
His Strategy: Most novice players are calling stations. Calling stations will limp into pots with almost any starting hand. They will call a lot of bets without consideration of pot odds, implied odds, or even basic common sense.
Some calling stations are driven by curiosity. These players will call an extra bet just to see whether the river will improve their hand. Other calling stations are motivated by ego. These calling stations always think their opponents are bluffing, and decide they must call every raise in order to “keep people honest.”
Effect on table: Calling stations affect the table by distorting pot odds for drawing hands. By calling every bet, calling stations give other players the correct pot odds for making flush or open-straight draws.
Success rate: Calling stations are generally the biggest losers in poker.
Your strategy against him: Calling stations are notorious for making backdoor flushes and inside straights on the river. If a calling station suddenly makes a suspicious raise on the river, check the board for possible straight or flush combinations.
If your table has more than two calling stations, you must dramatically increase the aggressiveness of your bets. Generally, it is safe to slow play good hands against one or two calling stations, because you will win most of the time. However, if there are several calling stations in the pot, there is a good chance that at least one of them will make their lucky draw against you. In these cases, it is safer to make aggressive bets to drive the calling stations out of the pot.
The Maniac
His strategy: The maniac uses his chips as weapons of mass coercion. He will make outrageous raises with marginal hands like A4 or 89. Willing to go all in, all the time, the maniac intimidates other players into submission with his aggressive play.
Effect on table: The maniac will loosen up your table and increase your table’s average pot size. At first, most players at your table will be intimidated by the maniac’s raises. Eventually, most players will get tired of maniac’s bullying and begin playing a looser and more aggressive style themselves.
The maniac’s playing style is very infectious. After seeing the maniac take down a couple of big pots with his bluffing, other players at the table will be tempted to start making bad bluffs as well.
Success rate: Maniacs may enjoy tremendous short-term success, but they will lose most of their stack in the long run.
Your strategy against him: Be patient grasshopper. Your goal is to wipe out the maniac in one big hand, so there is no need to engage him in small skirmishes. Never try to bluff the maniac. He will push back with a vengeance.
Keep in mind that any face-off against the maniac can escalate into an all in; so make sure you have a great hand when you go up against him.
The Mouse
His Strategy: The mouse loves to fold. He only plays with premium starting hands like AA, KK, QQ, JJ, and AK. Once in a blue moon the mouse might lower his starting hands requirement, but he will immediately fold if the flop does not improve his hand. Stingy and patient, the mouse is willing to lay down good hands even if he has already invested a large amount of money in the pot.
Effect on table: The mouse has very little effect on the table. However, you can evaluate how observant the others players are based on how they react to the mouse. Players who respect the mouse’s raises are probably attentive players. Players who do not respect the mouse’s raises are probably not paying attention to the game.
Success rate: This slow and steady strategy is marginally profitable.
Your strategy against him: It is important to establish a tight table image when playing against the mouse. If the mouse thinks you are a tight player, you can use this to your advantage and bluff him out of a lot of pots. However, always fold when the mouse reraises, because the mouse only reraises with premium hands.
The Rounder
His Strategy: The rounder generally start with premium starting hands. He will push aggressively when he has a good hand, and make effective bluffs when he senses weakness in other players.
The rounder’s goal is to win one big hand per hour. Patient and observant, the rounder rarely make mistakes and will not go into a hand unless he has favorable pot odds.
Effect on table: Given enough time, the rounder will take out most of the bad players at the table. The only surviving players will be mice and other rounders, which means the table will become very tight and tough to beat.
Success rate: Usually the most successful player at the table, the rounder will generally win one big pot per hour.
Your strategy against him: You should avoid the rounder whenever possible. There is no need to play against this tough opponent when there are plenty of easy tables out there.
If you must play against a rounder, your best tactic is to confuse him by changing up your playing style. Once the rounder determines that he cannot accurately read you, he will leave you alone and perhaps even leave the table.
26 October 2007 09:13 AM
