Other Poker Playing Styles

In general, playing styles can be broken down in to the following groups: “tight” or “loose” and “aggressive” or “passive”. They combine as follows:

  • Tight-aggressive – using selective starting hands but playing them aggressively. This type of player will prefer to have a good hand and earn the maximum from playing it strongly.
  • Loose-aggressive – playing a wide range of starting hands and playing them aggressively, as if they are stronger than they are. This type of player will see lots of flops and raise as a bluff or as a draw. This type of player will win big pots when they do make a hand, but will frequently lose medium sized pots or become committed with weak hands.
  • Loose-passive – playing a wide range of hands and playing them passively. This type of player will see too many flops, and check and call in the attempt to hit draws. They will play many weak hands and find themselves in many tough situations.
  • Tight-passive – using selective starting hands and playing them passively. It is difficult for this player to win a big pot, because most opponents will simply fold if a tight-passive player enters a pot voluntarily with a raise.