How to rank your opponents

In poker, you don't just play with your cards. A good player considers his cards, his position at the table, the opponent's possible cards, his number of chips, among other factors. But how do you know your opponent's cards? To do this, you must evaluate his behavior in that hand, and in the game up to that point. Is he more liberal, entering several hands? Or is he more conservative, folding frequently? By analyzing the opponent's behavior, we can classify him, and this is the objective of this article.

To determine your opponent's typical behavior, you need to observe him for a while. You won't know how he plays after one or two hands. Try to evaluate at least one round of blinds before drawing conclusions. In online poker, you can leave notes on your opponents' names, and this is a great way to help you classify them. Write down any information you can find, even if you're not in the hand. This will be very important.

Professional Phil Helmuth, known for his rage attacks but mainly for being the biggest WSOP winner in history, wrote about this subject in his book “Play Poker Like the Pros”. He made an analogy between the types of players and the animal world, and we will use this analogy for this article.

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The Mouse

A player who can be classified as a rat is a conservative player who only plays with quality hands. In addition, he does not tend to raise or re-raise frequently, unless he has a very good hand. He is also known as a “rock” and as a tight passive player. These are players who, on average, win more than they lose, and do not usually have large variations in their chip stack in an isolated hand. He rarely uses bluffs, and usually runs away from the hand if he does not have a good game and is under pressure.

The Jackal

A jackal is an aggressive player who plays with abandon. In other words, he likes to bet and raise frequently, and sometimes with low-quality hands. He uses bluffs in a loosely controlled manner, and in any position. His chip stack tends to vary greatly throughout a game or tournament. Against a jackal, the best strategy is to play conservatively and counterattack when he has a good hand. They are also known as maniacs, or loose-aggressive. It is possible to win a lot of chips from a player with this behavior, if you choose the right time. Some players are able to adopt the jackal attitude successfully, but this requires a lot of experience, knowledge of the game and training.

The Elephant

A frequent presence in lower stakes games, the elephant is a type of player that most of us have been when we first started playing poker. Also known as a calling station, or loose-weak, this type of player plays with several hands, hoping to hit a good flop, and when he doesn't, he calls bets to see if the turn or river will help him. On average, this is a type of player who loses chips and is very dependent on luck. Against them, it is best to bet when you have a good hand, but avoid bluffing with bad hands.

The Lion

A tight-aggressive player is classified as a lion, who plays few hands, choosing quality hands. When he enters a pot, it is usually with a raise or re-raise, and he usually bets in a way that is consistent with the quality of his game. When he tries to bluff, it is usually a semi-bluff, that is, a hand that is not so bad, with a real chance of winning if the opponent calls. Most successful players in professional poker are “lions”. Patient, they wait for a good situation to attack.

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The Eagle

If you find an eagle, you will know it just by looking at it. Eagles are those professional poker players who have been playing poker for many years and have made a lot of money in their careers. They are people who live the game of poker: it is their job and their life. They know how to adapt well to situations, changing their behavior when necessary. They are good at reading their opponents, evaluating details that you would not even suspect. In short, they are a small group of opponents, against whom you can never be too careful.

Conclusion

This classification is very simple and can be very helpful for beginners. Write down the details you notice and how often this happens. Have you ever seen a player bluff twice? Write that down. What about the one who always folds before the flop? Write that down too. The more notes you have, the easier it will be to define the opponent's category.

It is worth noting that a player does not usually stay in one category all the time. There may be slight variations, especially after winning or losing a lot of chips, or if he is playing inattentively or at a higher level than he should. Try to classify your opponents, but be aware of changes in their behavior. Furthermore, this assessment is only part of the problem. Don't forget about your cards, your position, your number of chips, etc.