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by Al Sousa (site owner)

When you first start your poker career the books are the quickest ways to advance your game. Even the worst books have something valuable to offer for improving your game, even if its one tid-bit of advise. Usually books are enough to play in the low limit games with profit. The books are very technical and precise about hands, betting, raising, and folding. While books start you on the basics, playing gains you experience.

But as you move up higher in limits you will find that more and more of the players are not obeying the rules of the book you first learned. What one must do is adjust to the player.

Players range from passive calling stations to aggressive bluffers. There are times with the same flop and same hand I will fold to one player's bet and call another's. Here are somethings to watch out for.

Bluffing: How often do they bluff? If they bluff a lot call down with more marginal hands. If they never bluff and only bet and raise the nuts then you can lay down hands confidently knowing you are beat.

Betting: What type of hands do these players bet? Into how many callers? Some players will bet middle pair into 2 other callers being first to act on the flop. Others like to check raise top pair. Some even just call down top pair because they are too afraid to bet. Some bet their draws, even gut shots.

Raising preflop: How often do they raise preflop? A player raising only 5% of the time is a tight player and it is right to lay down AQ. A player raising 10% of the time is being more liberal with his hand selection and an AQ now becomes a calling or reraising hand in some cases.

Raising post flop: Will they raise for the free card in position? Do they 3 bet top pair on the flop? Will they raise/cap draws on the flop? Do they often slowplay waiting till the turn to raise?

Folding: Is the player capable of folding? Can he lay down a hand? A calling station is unbluffable so never try it. But you can value bet hands on the river with lessor holdings since he is liable to call you down with many hands like ace high or bottom pair.

EXAMPLE: Here is the same hand with two different players types and two different results.

Player A is loose/aggressive and bluffs at many many pots.
Player B is a loose passive calling station that only bets when he has a made hand.

You raise first in from middle position with 77.

Both players types are on the button. and they both call preflop. All others fold.

Player A:
Flop comes T95.
I bet, player A raises me, I call.
Turn comes T95    2
I check, he bets again (quicker this time), I call.
River comes T95    2   9
I check, he bets, I call. He shows J7, I win the pot with my 77.

Player B:
Flop comes T95.
I bet, player Bcalls.
Turn comes T95    2
I bet, player B raises, I fold my hand. Player B shows K3 for the flush.

Same flops, same 77. The difference is the players. Player A does not know when to quit bluffing, player B only raises when he feels he is ahead. Taking notice of a player's traits will help you win more money and save more money when you are behind.

The most difficult player to read is the one that mixes up his players. Bluffs just enough, slowplays just enough, bets draws just enough.

There is no systematic way of explaining how to adjust to players. You just have to watch them and see how they play. Then figure out the best way to extract the most money from them according to their playing style.