Whenever you play poker you must read your opponent. Something that new people often passby. But to do that you must know your opponent. Of course if you are in poker parlor and your playing in a low limit game you won’t be facing last year’s World Series champion or any of the good local players. To better know your opponent you have to classify them and know their motives. There are three catogeries I use to classify players, Casual Recreational Players, Regulars and Pro’s.

Casual Recreational Players

Thes players are people who don’t really care about poker but will use it as moment in their free time to have fun. They won’t be the kind of people to make big researches in the internet about hand ranking etc. They will just know the rules and play for fun. They don’t care to lose, if you lose against these kinds of people after reading guides etc, you should quit playing poker.

The Regulars

This group is the hardest to spot out since they come in many shapes and form. They could consist of retired people, students looking to make some cash, dealers who work there and anyone else who plays poker to make some cash but is not seriously into it like a pro.

Pro’s

They are players who know every trick in the book or at the least most of it. They don’t play low limit games as they try to actually live off poker. They will be in most casinos in the higher limit parts. Some are just Semi Pro’s, these are really good players but have another income also.

Proposition Players

Proposition players are players who play on their own salary but are paid by the casino to start up games in empty tables etc…They will only be there when the games are running low. Like at nights when games are slow they will join in. Or early mornings in the summer. Their jobs might sound fun but it’s not they have to often play games with people half drunk who can’t get off. They often play conservative, they don’t try to beat or lose. Most casinos hire a strong regular player but not a player who would beat pro. This player will tend to play weak. Many people try to avoid props but casino do their best to keep them at the minimum.

The poker game is surrounded around blind and antes. When you start of every player will try to get the ante or blinds. An Ante is a small portion of a bet contributed by every player to seed the pot at the start of the hand.

A blind is a forced bet made by one player or several before any card was dealt that is why  it’s called a blind. In Stud games, players usually ante and in Omaha Hold’Em, Texas Hold’em players use blinds. Whatever the game uses the game needs seed money to start the action. Before that poker would become a rather dull game. People would just wait for the best hand to come up and then taking the pot.

Playing for an empty pot would not make for a fun fast poker game but rather slow and boring. Blinds and Ante serve a very important purpose. They serve the same purpose though, to tempt and entice the players into the pot, creating action because there is a monetary target to aim for.

You can always classify your opponents but knowing their habits is the best thing you can try to memorize. Imagine your playing poker with Bob and Martha who both like to call too much for no apparent reason and you get a AceHeart and KingHeart. You then take advantage and put something in what to do. You look at the flop and see JackHeart, 5Heart, 9Heart. You have two overcards and nut-flush draw. And if you know something about implied odds and semi bluffing you got this in the boxes. They call. The turn brings a 4Heart, it’s checked to you, you bet, thinking they might fold and you win at that moment. Maybe you have the best hand and would even win a showdown. You perhaps a heart will come from the river. These are players that often beat you and think you will lose again like always.

The river doesn’t give you what you wanted. And Rick calls you he has 6-5 mix suits and wins. What went wrong? Semi bluffing never works with player who always call, You have to actually show them the best hand to win. So you have to be involved in a showdown. While you still would have lost the pot but not the bet on the river.