Classifying other players in your games requires a system of
note taking that can quickly inform you of the type of opponents
that you are facing. In online poker, note taking is quite easy
so that you can classify a player and use that information at a
later time.
There are two areas of classification that should be looked at
first. They are the passive-aggressive rating and loose-tight
rating. To easily adjust to the kind of play that an opponent is
likely to do, you need a system of note taking that is easy to
remember and record. One of the easiest that I have found is the
alphanumeric system. With this system, you assign letters for
the degree of passive-aggressive play and numbers for the degree
of loose-tight play.
Passive-Aggressive Rating
The passive player is one that never raises but tends to call.
The aggressive player is one that consistently raises whenever
he is in a pot. All players fall into one of these categories to
some extent. Knowing what that extent is, tells you what kind of
player he is.
For recording this type of play I assign letters from A to E.
"A" would be the most passive player and "E" the most aggressive
player. So if a player were somewhat aggressive you would assign
him the letter "C", meaning that he is not aggressive all the
time but that he is not overly passive.
Loose-Tight Rating
The loose player is one that plays in numerous pots. He tends to
call or raise every blind. The tight player only plays in a few
pots. Again all players fall somewhere in one of these
categories. For recording this type of play I assign numbers
from 1 to 5.
The number "1" would be for the tightest player and "5" for the
loosest player. Therefore, if a player played an average number
of hands (one of every three hands) you assign him the number
"3", meaning that he saw the flop about 30% of the time.
Remember when assigning these ratings to do it in reference to
the game you normally play in. In other words, give the loosest
player in your regular game a 5 and the tightest player a 1 and
use them as a benchmark for all the other players. This is also
true for the passive and aggressive players.
When you first sit in a game look for any notes you have on the
other players. Then watch them play to see if they still match
what you have written about them. This is important as people
tend to change their style of play after a while.
Another thing to look for, which only happens in online play, is
the player that plays at more than one table. These players tend
to play a straightforward game, as they have to watch more than
one game. I usually put a "+" sign in their notes to show this.
After you have mastered this system, you will find that you will
invent more codes to give you more information about each player.
Good Luck
About the author:
Authored by: Robert Myer, Webmaster
of
Beginner's Online
Poker Guide, as well as a poker player for over 20 years
