A large part of being a successful poker player is making good reads. Ideally, we'd like to have such a good view into our opponent's thought processes that we can figure out what hand they have by their betting patterns. However, this is not always possible.

A lot of the time, the best we can do is categorize our opponents based on their observed tendencies into broader archetypes. When we see them make a certain play a few times, it can give out a lot of general information about how to play them. Until a more concrete, pattern-based read is available, these broader classifications can serve as an important strategic tool to help us decide which hands to avoid, which to play, and how hard to play them. <READMORE>
Below is a list of common types of players I encounter in SNGs. There are obviously more than those I've listed; I put this together from my own memory and one day worth of playing. Still, these are some of the more common types of players you're bound to run into. I've listed the type of player, how to spot them, and how to play against them. Hopefully, we can get a discussion going where you all can contribute more to this list or share some other strategies for taking advantage of their flaws.

The profiles I describe below are specific incarnations of the ordinary LAG or TAG player. Not every LAG or TAG fits into one of these categories. Don't try to shoehorn someone into one without specific evidence that it fits them - at the very least, wait for two or three instances before assuming it's a theme. Also, the categories below mainly describe bad players. Good players, by definition, are not so simple to categorize. You should already have a good idea of how to play against a standard LAG or TAG, anyway.

The profiles below are there because they have specific flaws in their game, and exploiting these flaws is an almost surefire way to be profitable. I've included a simple 1-10 rating of which types I think are the most profitable to play against. So, without further ado, the list:

The Overbetter

How to spot one:
The overbetter reveals his presence early on, tossing out 10xBB raises in the first level or two. He usually varies the size of his raise, but it's rarely less than 5xBB preflop. When he's involved in a pot, his usual bet ranges from the pot to three times the pot – but usually not all-in unless there's action ahead of him. He uses that big bet to scare you out of pots with mediocre hands. The problem is, he overbets every hand. Usually, he'll bust out of the money because he invests too much in marginal hands and ends up dominated when called.

How to play against one:
You're going to need a hand to tussle with an overbetter. Their abnormally large bets don't leave them much room to fold, even with marginal hands. I find that these players are often below average readers, and they simply don't want to play pots postflop. There's an element of fear in their games. Either wait for a Tier 1 or 2 hand, and then repush, or if you can see a flop, slowplay against them – the check/call is very effective here. If they fire a 1x or 2x pot bet on the flop, a check-call usually means you'll get all their chips on the turn.

Profitability Factor: 9. He moves huge amounts of chips around with mediocre hands.

The Pair Whore

How to spot one:
The pair whore simply can not lay down a pair preflop.You'll spot them limping a lot in the lower levels, and playing pots without betting much throughout the game. Now, this alone doesn't mean someone's a pair whore. But if you see them showdown one or two low pocket pairs in these situations, or bust someone after calling a preflop raise with 22 and flopping a set, it's a good bet that they're a pair whore.

How to play against one:
The weakness of the pair whore lies preflop. Unless they flop a set, they can usually get away from their pair in the face of postflop action. However, they simply must see flops with their pairs, so get value preflop. If someone has shown a tendency to be a pair whore, raise a little more than you normally would if they limp into a pot before you, and don't hesitate to bet at them, especially with high cards on the board. If they show strength, back off, but you can probably get them to lay down that pair postflop – unless it's down to 3 players (in a shorthanded game) or 4 players (in a full table game). Then they tend to play their pairs a little stronger, so play it by ear.

Profitability Factor: 6. You'll be able to steal some pots from him, and get him to contribute preflop, but you probably won't take any huge pots off him until late.

The Calling Station

How to spot one:
This one should be self-explanatory. Calls bets by the truckload. Will call with any pair or any draw. Rarely bets out.

How to play against one:
Value bet him when you have something. NEVER, EVER try to bluff him, no matter what the situation. If he plays back at you, get concerned, it's out of character.

Profitability Factor: 10. As readable as a book, and will always pay you off.

The George W.

How to spot one:
I call this one the George W. because once he gets a little taste of power, he goes nuts. This is the guy who played pretty solid early in the game, but once he got a big stack, turned into a maniac. He likes to play back at people, limp into lots of pots, and generally make life miserable. He has the stack to go on draws and play them aggressively, or put you to the test with middle pair.

How to play against one:
It depends on what kind of stack you have and the quality of your cards. If you have a big stack, let him bet and then play back at him. He's probably not going to want to mix it up with another big stack. If he does, he probably has a hand. Figure out on the flop where he stands, to avoid tough decisions later. If you have a strong hand, bet small. Let him play back at you. With draws on the board, you can push over his raise. Without draws, you can just call and dust him on the next street. If you bet small,and he just calls, or bet, he raises, and you smooth call, check the turn unless the board turns scary. Also, be careful on the river against him. If you stop showing aggression on a hand mid-way through, and check the river to him, he's looking for the opportunity to steal it back on later streets against you. A value bet on the river serves as a good blocking bet against this play. Determine early in the hand whether you're willing to take it all the way, and either bail on the flop or go the distance. If you're a small stack, and in this situation, you might have to call a big bet on a scary board when he tries to represent a hand and steal – if the pot is big enough and your situation is desperate.

Profitability Factor: 3. His stack size and unpredictable nature make him tough to play, and you usually won't take any big pots off of him – he wins and loses pots without showdown.

The Artist

How to spot one:
I call this one the Artist because he loves to draw. No price is too expensive to chase an open-ender, and a flush draw might as well be quad aces to them. You'll see them calling a lot on double-suited boards or three-straights (89T board, for example), then folding on the river when they miss or firing out outrageous bets on the river when they hit – either ridiculously small or ridiculously large. It's best to see them show down one or two of these before you label them as such.

How to play against one:
Again, it depends on your stack. If you have a small stack, it's probably best to value bet them. They'd call a bigger bet anyway, regardless of odds, but then you can build a managable pot while deducing on later streets whether they hit or not. The downside to the “don't give them odds” school, where you make big betss in order to “not give them the right odds to call” is that these players will call anyway, and when they hit, you're crippled. On the flip side, when you have a big stack, then hit them with pot-sized bets. You can take the blow if they draw out, and want them to commit a large portion of their stack, or ideally, get it all in on the turn drawing with one card left to come.

Profitability Factor: 6. Unless you get them to commit a lot of chips on the draw and miss, you probably won't be able to take any big pots off of them.

The New Wave Artist

How to spot one:
The New Wave artist is a lot like the Artist, except when the Artist check/calls his draws, the New Wave Artist bets them out. His bets aren't outrageous, usually 2/3 – ¾ of the pot. He might even fire a second round on the turn. Once the blinds get big, he's apt to start pushing over the top of people with his draws.

How to play against one:
You really have to play your cards agains these players, since they don't like to lay down their draws, and you usually can't distinguish a big draw from a made hand. If you make two pair or better on a board with a flush draw, play it aggressively. Be aware that these players usually play their made hands for value, but overplay their big draws, so be more careful when they bet small and more apt to call with made hands when they bet big.

Profitability Factor: 4. You'll either take or lose big pots against them, so it's not as long-term profitable as playing other profiles.

The Scrooge

How to spot one:
The Scrooge gets his name because once he has some money invested in a hand, he doesn't like to let it go. He'll check/call with a middle pair, chase a gutshot draw – any semblance of a hand, and he'll go with it unless you really bet big.

How to play against one:
A Scrooge isn't an inherently aggressive player. If you have top pair or better in a blind v blind confrontation, value bet him to death. If he's just calling, and you have a decent hand, keep value betting. If he suddenly starts betting, after just calling on the flop and/or turn, get away without a monster. Two pair is the Scrooge's weapon of choice, often undistinguishable because he played a raggedy hand and chased with bottom pair.

Profitability Factor: 5. Again, you probably won't play any big pots with him unless you're beat, but you should be able to take a few medium-sized pots from him.

The Lottery Afficianado

How to spot one:
The Lottery Afficianado doesn't care about his cards, he just wants to get his chips in the middle and let luck sort it out. You can spot him because he's the one who pushes all-in,often more than once, pre-flop in the first few levels. Sometimes it's to a raise, sometimes he open pushes.

How to play against one:
If you have a stack, or feel like gambling for one, don't be afraid to call him off with a pretty wide range of hands – KQ+, 66+, A9s+, AT+, something like that. You'll almost always be ahead, though you'll end up in a lot of 3:2 situations. If you don't like gambling early, then maybe KQs+, 99 +, AJs+, AQ+ is more your style. Either way, somebody is probably going to get all of his chips in the first level or two, and it might as well be you – and you're not going to do it after the flop. Take a stand and take him out.

Profitability Factor: 9. He's just looking to hand over all of his chips in one fell swoop.

The Psychic

How to spot one:
The Pyschic is a special breed of weak-tight player that just can't stop seeing monsters in the closet. He will lay down almost anything lower than a set, AA-KK, or a made flush or straight because he believes you have that one improbable hand that beats him. He often announces his presence, literally, saying stuff like “I can't believe your 67 drew out on me” after a fold.

How to play against one:
Be aggressive, especially once he shows any sign of weakness. He's prone to giving up on pots when he thinks he's beat, and he thinks he's beat a lot more than he should. His bet speed often gives him away, too – a waek flop bet and then an insta-check on the turn signals a Psychic throwing up the red flag, if you've already tagged him as one. When he starts pushing, look out, he's probably holding something strong – unless he's a short-stack, and then he might well just be desperate. Because Psychics convince themselves they get sucked out on all the time, they tilt with a shortstack or after a fold. So don't raise their blinds when they just laid down a hand in a big pot, unless you have a big hand yourself- they're liable to tilt push back at you. Otherwise, bet scare cards, aces, three-flushes, anything scary.

Profitability Factor: 6. You can milk him for a few stolen pots a game, but not much more.

The Hunger Artist

How to spot one:
The Hunger Artist is a unique type of TAG that would literally rather blind away to nothing than play a hand that wasn't huge. He's the one that doesn't play a hand for two or three straight blind levels, folds every time from the SB, and won't even push when he's down to 2-3 big blinds.

How to play against one:
Attack him at every opportunity. Steal his blinds mercilessly, especially when the blinds get big. When he eventually pushes back, get out of there quickly, unless he's so short you're priced in.

Profitability Factor: 8. You'll get a lot of free chips stealing his blinds late, that's the value of playing him – and it's almost risk-free.

The Painter

How to spot one:
Plays any two face cards like they're AA. JQ, KT, whatever. He does a lot of limp-calling and overplays middle pairs. Look for evidence of this in showdowns, like when he shows QJ against AK on a board Ajxxx after calling bets to the river.

<SPAN>How to play against one:</SPAN>
You want to get all-in against him with hands like AK, AQ, and even KQ as there's a good chance you'll have him dominated. You'll want to be less aggressive with small and middle pocket pairs, as even TT is a coinflip against QJ.

Profitability Factor: 8. His tendency to play dominated hands makes him a near-ideal opponent.

The Moving Man

How to spot one:
The Moving Man lives to make moves. He usually cares less about his cards than he does about your perceived strength. He'll often bet with air if checked to him in position, reraises weak bets, and will usually bet out big if you bet on the flop, he calls, and you check the turn. He looks for scare cards and signs of weakness and then bets big enough to put you to the test.

How to play against one:
When you have a hand you're committed to playing, lead out with it enough to block him from stealing. He'll reraise weak bets, so keep your bets above half the pot each. If you have a huge hand, check the turn and let him come to you. Make sure not to get into big pots with him with a marginal hand, this is crucial – it's what he thrives on. When you see a player taking most of his pots without showdown, often on late street bets, there's a good chance he's a Moving Man.

Profitability Factor: 3. You have to play carefully against him.

Captain Binary

How to spot one:
This is a special type of player, one that is extremely profitable to play against. He's called Captain Binary because he only has two moves – push or fold, zero or one. He may play any number of styles early, but once the game gets short-handed or the blinds get somewhat big, he only pushes preflop or folds. Sometimes, he'll see a flop, then push or fold, but this is rare.

How to play against one:
This type of player is almost an ideal opponent. In these late-game situations, he won't find enough hands to push with to really steal your blinds and get you short. He also can't distinguish between AK and A2, so he often finds himself dominated when called. He doesn't care about the size of the blinds, so he'll push for 30xBB with a marginal hand. Simply bide your time, then call him off with a Tier 1 or 2 hand; you'll most likely have him dominated. He does all the work for you, so be patient. If you're short-handed, and one of the other players is a Captain Binary, be extra-patient. Try not to get into big pots with the other player(s) without a monster, because there's a good chance you'll get paid off by him when you pick up a hand.

Profitability Factor: 10. Will pay you off with a dominated hand eventually. Jackpot!

The Tailor

How to spot one:
The Tailor gets his name because he's obsessed with the button. He may play any number of styles, but once the button is in front of him, he thinks he's invincible. You can spot him because he raises his button almost every time, and/or is prone to showing down weak hands when called after raising his button.

How to play against one:
Call from the BB with hands you might usually fold, like A7 or KJ, and play from the flop – if your stack is above 15xBB or so. If you have a big stack, put pressure on him by reraising his button raises, especially if he's folded to a reraise in that situation before. If you catch a hand, take the lead – don't let him use position against you.

Profitability Factor: 5. You can steal a few pots a game from him, but not much more.

The River Bailer

How to spot one:
The River Bailer is a relatively normal player through the turn, but often will jump ship on the river. Maybe it's because a draw looks like it got there, maybe it's because he suddenly worried that his AK top pair is beat by some obscure two pair. Look for players that will give a lot action on early streets, but often fold the river, even to small bets.

How to play against one:
Make steal bets on the river, plain and simple. It helps if you've been taking the lead the whole way, or if a scare card hits the river. If he plays back at you on the river, you know he made a hand. Your river bets don't have to be too large, 1/3 of the pot and up usually does the trick.

Profitability Factor: 6. Again, you can milk him for a few medium-sized pots a game.

The River Bluffer

How to spot one:
The River Bluffer is the exact opposite of the River Bailer. Once he realizes he can't make a winning hand, he makes desperation bets on the river, often overbets, looking to take it down.

How to play against one:
Once you see someone play passive throughout a hand, but often throw out big bets on the river, look for an opportunity to capitalize – especially if, when called, he shows rags. Play your big hands very slow, unless the board is scary, because you want him to have a chance to hemmorage chips on the river.He'Is the poster boy for going all-in with a missed flush draw or open-ender, so watch out for that.

Profitability Factor: 5. You have to keep him in a pot with you until the river, and that often means keeping the pot small.

The Pity Sponge

How to spot one:
<SPAN>The Pity Sponge gets his name because he simply cannot help himself – every time he folds a decent preflop hand, he has to show it. He needs to feel like the whole table respects him. He needs to prove that he wasn't playing garbage. He hopes it'll make the other players respect him more.</SPAN>

How to play against one:
Instead of respecting him more, attack him more. He shows his big hands, and therefore shows his ability to get away from them. If you've been playing tight, you can probably steal from him with a wide range of hands. You won't get much action off him preflop, but get aggressive postflop if he isn't.

Profitability Factor: 3. You'll steal a few small pots from him, but won't get the opportunity to do much else to exploit him.

The Bull

How to spot one:
The Bull is a specific type of Moving Man. Checks are to him like a red, waving cape is to a bull. He assumes every check means weakness. He might be otherwise tight, but feels compelled to bet every time its checked around to him. One good sign of his Bullish tendencies is if he limps from the button, then bets around 1/3-1/2 the pot when it checks around to him, especially on a low board. If he almost always bets when checked to, he's a Bull.

How to play against one:
If you flop top pair or better, check the flop. When he bets, pretend to think for a few seconds and repop him. He'll retreat without a big hand. If you have a huge hand, check, pretend to think, then call – and then check/raise him on the next street.

Profitability Factor: 8. It's great when you know someone will pay off all of your slowplays, isn't it?

Zatoichi

How to spot one:
This one is named after Zatoichi, the blind swordsmen of Japanese legend. He may or may not defend his BB to a raise, that you'll have to figure out in context. But if you limp from the SB, and nobody else limped before you, he'll always raise from the BB – often 4-5xBB.

How to play against one:
You want to identify these people early. When it folds to you in the SB, especially in the first level or two, always limp with any two cards. Blind versus blind confrontations are a huge part of poker, and you want a few examples of what he does in the BB when you limp in the SB. If he quickly raises you every time, be ready to trap him there. Don't limp in early position hoping to do this, it complicates things when other players raise or limp too. Instead, fold from the SB except with hands you're willing to repop him with – A9+, 77+, KQ+ usually does it for me. A normal reraise often looks suspicious there; if the blinds are relatively large, just push over his raise.

Profitability Factor: 7. Sooner or later, you're bound to pick up a hand in the SB. Whether he folds to your raise or calls it is what decides how profitable a Zatoichi he is.

The Popped Cherry

How to spot one:
The Popped Cherry gets his name because he starts the game tight and ends the game loose. Early on, he can't be bothered to play hands like A5 or KT. He's tight as a rock. But once the blinds get to 50/100, he's firing away. If someone isn't playing any pots early, but plays a ton late, he's probably a Popped Cherry. These players are often TAGs at heart, so they often fold when played back at.

How to play against one:
This player's one you'll want to play after the flop. He probably will raise or call a raise with a weak ace late in a game. You don't want to be gambling too much preflop, as his range is probably very wide, so don't unless you have a big hand or a small stack. Try to keep pots small, make probe bets, and if he's being tentative, look for opportunities to take pots away from him. Don't try to steal his blinds without a hand, he'll probably call you and force you into tough postflop decisions.

Profitability Factor: 4. You're going to need some cards to dust him off in the endgame.

The Revirginizer

How to spot one:
This is the opposite of the Popped Cherry; he's loose early, but tight late. He'll probably get mixed up in a lot of pots in the first few levels and either amass a huge stack or be left crippled with half his starting stack. By the later levels, he's calmed down.

How to play against one:
Avoid him early on without a strong made hand; he's tough to read and can be playing any two cards. Attack him later on, stealing his blinds while he's on the short stack. Try not to call his preflop raises without big cards. In pots he doesn't raise, you can probably muscle him out.

Profitability Factor: 7. His loose nature early means you might get paid off with a big pair, and his tight nature late means you can steal the blinds when they get big.

The Skeptic

How to spot one:
The Skeptic is a very specific type of player, one that can only be identified is he does the same thing a few times: call a big flop bet, and then fold to a turn bet.

How to play against one:
He almost never believes that first bet. That means if you're shortstacked, and that first bet is a significant portion of your stack, don't bluff at him. On the other hand, iif you're not a shortstack, if he just calls a flop bet, always fire a turn bet.

Profitability Factor: 5. His weakness allows for a few stolen pots a game, if that.

The Armani

How to spot one:
The Armani is a sucker for suited cards. This is one that is hard to pick up on without a few showdowns. Once you've seen him show down suited rags a few times, you'll be able to spot him pretty easily.

How to play against one:
Keep an eye on him on suited boards, it's that simple. If he makes a play that leaves you wondering if he just hit his flush, he probably did.

Profitability Factor: 1. Knowing his profile might save you one or two bets a game, that's it.

The Deer Hunter

How to spot one:
This is a special kind of blind defender – he'll call any preflop raise less than an all-in with any two cards from the BB. He gets his name because he's basically playing Russian Roulette every time he's in the BB. These players are easy to spot. The danger is that they could have anything, so be careful against them postflop. They often can get away from mediocre holdings after the flop, and make their living busting people with low two pair.

How to play against one:
Play cautiously against them after the flop when they called from the BB. If the board is paired, no matter what the paired card is, never assume they don't have it – even if it's a deuce or trey and there's been a lot of action. Top pair and overpairs lose a little value against these players; you'll usually want top two or better if they're giving you action post flop. The best thing you can do is value bet the hell out of them postflop with big hands.

Profitability Factor: 6. Might well stack you with a well-disguised hand against an overpair. Might also give away his chips when he can't get away from a marginal hand.

The Cripple

How to spot one:
The Cripple loves to limp, at any point, in any position. If he gets a big stack, he's liable to limp with any two. Otherwise, he usually sticks to Aces, suited kings, suited semi connectors, or pocket pairs.

How to play against one:
Watch and see how he responds to raises. If he folds to a raise after limping, attack his limps. If he calls after limping, even to big raises, value raise him with big hands. Try not to commit too much without TT+, AJs+ preflop – you'll want to focus more on postflop play against him. He's somewhat passive, so trapping isn't the best idea without a huge hand

Profitability Factor: 3. You're not going to get many big bets from him postflop.

These are just some of the profiles I've observed. What are some that you've noticed?

Cheers,

Alex
EpicATC

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