What type of poker player are you Part 1

Every poker player may be an individual –with their own set of strengths, weaknesses, and quirks-but for the most part poker players fall under a certain category. Obviously there are winners and losers, but inside each of those categories are more subsets, and without getting too specific I’ve narrowed these sub-categories down to three for both winners and losers in poker.

In this article I’ll look at the three sub-categories for losing poker players; in Part 2 I’ll look at the three categories of winning poker players.

Fish

Fish are basically players that do not understand the basics of the game. These players have no concept of basic strategies like position, calculating pot odds, or bet-sizing. Because of these huge holes in their game, Fish are universally welcomed at poker tables since their chances of winning are slim to none -basically the deck would have to hit them in the face for them to hold onto their chips for any length of time.

When you find yourself in a game with a Fish your #1 goal is to keep them in the game, and since they are typically passing through the casino (not regulars) it’s not a bad idea to offer a pointer or two from time to time. Doing this gives the Fish a small reward while they are losing buy-in after buy-in.

Casual Poker Players

Unlike a straight Fish, a casual poker player has some understanding of the strategies involved in poker, unfortunately, their knowledge is only cursory. They don’t lose fast like a Fish, but by the end of the night they are usually ground down to the felt from their many smaller mistakes.

Casual poker players also have an uncanny ability to become better or worse depending on the game conditions. If players are friendly and having fun casual poker players tend to go with the flow; if casual poker players find themselves in tough, no-nonsense, game or have been called-out in some way they suddenly seem to focus more and play tougher.

The maxim, don’t tap the glass is in direct reference to this type of player.

Hustlers

Hustler, cheater, angle-shooter, scammer; all of these terms apply to people falling in this category. Basically these are knowledgeable poker players who have some type of personality flaw (be it Tilt, poor bankroll management, poor game selection or some other major leak) that keeps them from booking a profit.

Because they can’t win, and can’t justify why they can’t win, they tend to be willing to do whatever it takes to gain an extra edge in the game. So with these players you have to be prepared for anything from a miss-called hand and shorting the pot, to outright scams and theft.

Hustlers are universally loathed in a poker game; the players HATE these angle-shooters/cheaters, as do the dealers and the floor who simply don’t want to have to deal with the many arguments and rulings that are needed when a Hustler in the game.