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Write The Book On Your Opponents: Beginners Guide To Expert Player Reads
Poker prop article posted October 2nd, 2006Every poker player, whether new to the game or seasoned pro, knows that being able to build a good read on your opponents is an all important key to profitable poker. What few poker players know, however, is that making solid player reads is simply deductive reasoning, not divine intervention.
Simply put, a 'read' on your opponent is where you identify how your opponents have played their hands in the past, so as to help you deduce how they might play that hand in the future. You're not going to work out what their exact hand is every time. But the more you learn about your opponents, the closer you'll be able to get. And the closer you're able to get, the more expert moves you can make. I mean, you would never go into battle, without having done some detailed research on your opponent. Poker is no different.
It's All in the Details
So, knowing this, how does a beginning poker player go about reading their opponents?
Well, the keyword to effective player reads is DETAIL.
Simply knowing the basics of your opponents preflop play (loose/tight; passive/aggressive), is not enough.
When noting down your opponents player profile, you should be breaking your notes up into two areas.
Specifically, 'Preflop Play' and 'Postflop Play'. This is because our opponents at the tables are so much more than simply a 'loose' or a 'tight' player. They are a person. A person who will naturally adapt to different situations and changing game conditions, (whether or not they are actually conscious of themselves adapting their own play).
So here are some questions you should always try to have an answer to, when you are reading through your player notes. And as a bonus, I have also included a few quick tips, that can allow you to exploit that extra bit of player knowledge...
Preflop Player Reads
Are they loose/tight?
Against tighter players, steal their blinds more (although ease up if they are quite aggressive), and play a more straightforward game against them. So pop a raise when you have a good hand, and back off when you don't.
Against loose players, steal their blinds less.
However, if a loose player has limped into the pot ahead of you, try isolating them by playing some of your marginal preflop hands more aggressively (i.e. raising 55 or 66 preflop). Only try these more aggressive plays if you are quite sure that your raise will get the pot heads up against your limping opponent. Be cautious against isolating loose preflop players who tend to play correctly postflop, since you may end up paying over the odds trying to get your marginal hand to the river.Are they aggressive/passive?
With aggressive players, the very nature of their game means that, they tend to semi-bluff or bluff more often. So when you have strong hands, do what you can to encourage them to keep bluffing. Please note that I am not advocating limping big pocket pairs in an attempt to disguise them. Instead, you should try and widen the range of hands that you would three-bet preflop.
Try popping A9s for 3-Bets against a loose/aggressive player. This will keep your opponents guessing and more importantly, keep them paying you off when you finally do get dealt your pocket Aces. However, be sure to only do this more aggressive play, with marginal hands you know how to get away from postflop.
Against passive players, look to try and keep them in the pot. If I am sitting on the right of a passive player who rarely cold calls preflop, but will often limp, I will try and change my seat so that I sit to their left. This allows me to keep raising preflop, without forcing the passive player out of the hand.
A few more notes that you should be trying to make preflop are:
- What kind of hands do they raise, 3 bet, cold call, or limp?
- Do they like to limp-reraise, and if they do, what with?
- Do they defend their blinds a lot?
- Are they a habitual blind stealer?
Post Flop Player Reads
How do they play a flush/straight draw, trips, top pair, second pair or bottom pair on the flop?
I believe that the picture you build of your opponent on the flop, is the single most important factor in helping you form the clearest idea of their hand. Don't simply rely on poker tracker numbers here. Actually watch how they play out the hand, and see what they showdown.
And you don't simply want to know if they check/raise their trips or not. You want to keep an eye out for even smaller details such as, do they check raise 'exposed trips' (i.e. 8c 8d Qh and they hold an 8) but slow play 'hidden trips' (i.e. 8c 5h Qs and they hold a pair of eights)? These details make your turn and river decisions much easier when you find yourself in tricky spots.
Do they fold the flop too much for one bet?
I find that this is a really profitable note to have.
We all know that the players that take their poor hands too far, are by far the most profitable opponent postflop. But even seemingly solid players (tight/aggressive preflop) can become a virtual ATM postflop.
You see, when a player folds the flop too often for one bet (this especially rings true in shorthanded games, where the flop is often heads-up), simply applying the pressure on them with a bet out or a check/raise into the pot, (no matter what shows on the board), is enough to get you the pot. With their 'fit or fold' type approach to the flop, against these kind of players, lean on them by bluff betting the flop a lot more. However, show them respect if they call your raise, or bet out into you.
A few more notes that you should be trying to make postflop are:
- Do they bet out a lot (aggressive) or check/call more often (passive)?
- Do they like to bet/raise the turn a lot, or will they check/call it through?
- Do they protect their hands in large pots?
- Do they love to slow play their big hands?
- Do they fold the river a lot?
- What makes them tilt?
- How do they play differently when they are on tilt?
I am sure that as you spend more time watching your opponents, there will be many more aspects to their game, (other than the ones listed above), that you will begin to note (such as a physical or online tell perhaps). And anything that you can learn about your opponent is guaranteed to give you that extra edge at the table. Provided that you use the information you've gathered, profitably.
So next time you sit down to play poker online or live, simply switch off the TV or the I-Pod, and really focus on how your opponents are playing each and every hand. Remember, its all in the details.
Poker prop article written by N1ghtowl
The above poker prop article was posted on October 2nd, 2006. If you have questions about Mad Poker Props or poker propping please contact us.