Whatever type of poker you are playing, maybe its free online poker, pay poker or poker with friends, there are two types of players when sitting at a Texas Holdem table, the ones who play the cards and the others who play the player. How does one decide what is the best style of play? In my experience, it really comes down to both, playing the player and the cards.
After a few years of playing the game and learning how to figure out and know the “outs”, hand percentages, etc., it did help my game tremendously, but not nearly as much as I had hoped. What I did not factor in, was the style of play by others. Playing the player is a strategy that should not be overlooked.
Most poker players tend to play any hand given to them, sometimes they can win with a rubbish hand by bluffing and other times they can get a decent hand and win with that. At the end of the day, pretty much any set of cards can win a hand.
The question some may ask is how do you play a player. The simplistic answer is to observe and study how possible opponent’s play before you attempt playing a player. Spend time watching their style, when they bet, how much, do they reraise often. This can be quite time consuming but can be very educational and helpful when you are ready to sit and play against them.
Does it always work to your advantage? The answer is no. It is poker and a game of chance after all. Regardless of how good you are at poker, you are never going to win every single game you play. But in the long run it will vastly improve your chances of winning against this type of player. You may not win every hand or every time, but you will win more than just playing your cards.
Good luck with these tips and I hope to see you at the free online poker tables soon!
