Texas Holdem Poker Strategy Books - Profiling The Players

Because there is so much data available in an online casino, you can begin to profile a player before you ever sit down at the table. For example, if you are playing in the Party Poker casino, you can click on the hand number that appears at the top of the screen and ask that a history be sent to you via email.

Go to the bottom of the list and look at what the player is holding. Then watch their playing style to see how they are playing the hand.

Keep records by creating a document in Word or Excel. Use that form to take notes on players and to keep a history for yourself.

You will start to see what strategies work for you in which situations and how other specific players will play in certain games. If you are not comfortable keeping computer notes, you can just buy a spiral notebook and keep your records there.

Don’t rely on your memory or get stuck because you don’t seem to be doing well. If you save data, you can actually analyze how other players are playing the game and how YOU are playing the game.

Session Dates
Start Time
Stop Time
Wins and Losses	Note each opponent as a ‘Net Loser’, ‘Low/Moderate Winner’, ‘Moderate Winner’, or a ‘Maximum Winner’
Running Bankroll Totals
Hourly Win Rate
Bet History	Do they bet pre-flop, etc?
Hands	What were you dealt? What hand did you use to close out the game (five cards)
Opponents	Identity (names, avatars)
Tells
Style and Strategy of other players	Assign each opponent a profile according to the player types below
Details about Opponents	What size is their stake? Do they play quickly or slowly? What kinds of cards do they play on, bet on, raise on? Sites like Party Poker offer an online note-taking feature which is helpful. Right mouse click on the player image (avatar) and select ‘Player Notes’ to insert your comments.

While this may seem like a tedious exercise, it will help you to objectively analyze your own play and the play of others and this is how you will learn and win more money.

When you analyze your style and create profiles for other players, you can combine the odds with a strategy that is appropriate to a particular game and scenario.

Look at your statistics from several vantage points to see how the value of cards might change depending on the other players at the table and the betting styles of those players.

Profile	Description
Loose/Passive	Experienced players call these individuals “calling stations”, because they will call any bet even if there is no chance they will win the pot. They will not fold, even if they have a garbage hand. They will stay in most hands unless you push them hard to call. Yet, these same players will, strangely enough, NOT raise when they have a good hand, thereby revealing their ‘passive’ side.
Loose/Aggressive	These players will often make inappropriate raises. They may not have the best hand but they will raise anyway. They bet irrationally, raising and then staying, then raising and then folding, with no rhyme or reason for their actions. These players are truly ‘maniacs’. Playing against them can be profitable, but it can also cost you money because you will have to call all those crazy raises in order to stay in the game.
Tight/Passive	The ‘rock’ players play fewer hands and play very cautiously. For a fish, this is the right way to play. When a player like this finally DOES raise, you should be careful. They probably have the nuts. While you will not lose as much money if you play like a ‘rock’, you will not win as much money either. When you play OPPOSITE a ‘rock’, you must be patient and ready to recognize behavior that indicates a great hand is lurking in the wings.
Tight/Aggressive	These players play few of the hands they are dealt, but when they DO play, their behavior is more varied and less predictable. If these players raise, you will find it hard to know whether they have a good hand or they are bluffing. These players are selective in their aggression which keeps other players guessing. They may bet carefully on a good hand and trick others into thinking they don’t have much. They might raise to push weaker players out. These players will drive you crazy as opponents. HOWEVER, your goal should be to become a tight/aggressive player and drive everyone else crazy!