Player Characteristics

Question 1

How do Tight Passive players play?

What are they also known as?

What does a sample VPIP/PFR stat look for them?

Answer 1

Plays mostly strong hands. Quick to fold post-flop. Beware of their bets and raises.

Also known as Tight Player, Nit, or Rack

11/9, 11/2, 7/3

Question 2

How do Tight Aggressive players play?

What are they also known as?

What does a sample VPIP/PFR stat look for them?

Answer 2

Positionally aware. Prefers bets/raises to checks/calls. Quick to fold.

Also known as TAG, ABC, or Reg

12/10, 18/13

Question 3

How do Loose Passive players play?

What are they also known as?

What does a sample VPIP/PFR stat look for them?

Answer 3

Huge gap between VPIP & PFR = lots of calls. Loves flops and hitting hands. Can’t find a fold.

Also known as Loose Player, Fish, or Calling Station

22/6, 28/5, 45/9

Question 4

How do Loose Aggressive players play?

What are they also known as?

What does a sample VPIP/PFR stat look for them?

Answer 4

Aggressively plays too many hands. Uses position to apply pressure. High variance loser.

Also known as LAG, Donk, Maniac

24/18, 36/24, 55/35

Question 5

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Has strong hand selection and is positionally aware. Folds too often preflop and raises only strong hands.

Answer 5

Tight Passive.

Play a wider but still strong range when IP. Call their raises with hands that play well post-flop and can crack big hands (has good playability).

Question 6

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Passively plays very wide & weak ranges. Not positionally aware.

Answer 6

Loose Passive

Play ranges that dominate theirs and isolate them (as limpers or in the blinds) whenever +EV.

Question 7

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Plays multiple tables, so they’re selective, patient and they choose the best starting hands (small & value intensive range).

Answer 7

Tight Aggressive

Play strong hands against them, but speculative hands can crack their strong ranges.

Question 8

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Too much aggression with weak ranges. Open-raises, isolation raises, and calls too much pre-flop.

Answer 8

Loose Aggressive

Play with hands at the top of their range, and strive for IP play.

Question 9

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Calls preflop with broadways, strong suited hands and small-medium pocket pairs.

Answer 9

Tight Passive

Put him on this range. Gauge how well it interacts with the board before you make post-flop plays.

Question 10

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Raises only strong hands.

Answer 10

Loose Passive

Re-raise with the nuts and fold marginal holdings without a good reason.

Question 11

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Positionally aware and their straightforward style can be easy to read.

Answer 11

Tight Aggressive

When you read them for weakness (small sizing, range/board interaction, OOP), put pressure on them to earn frequent folds.

Question 12

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Constantly applies pressure.

Answer 12

Loose Aggressive

ALWAYS gauge how well the board interacts with their range. Be willing to call wider with 2nd and 3rd pair when they can be bluffing worse.

Question 13

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Doesn’t often fold to 3Bets. And their 3Bets = the nuts.

Answer 13

Tight Passive

3Bet and 4Bet with the best hands to get value from his tight range.

Question 14

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Limps and calls raises just to see a flop and get lucky.

Answer 14

Loose Passive

Choose good isolating raising hands at the top of their limp/calling ranges. Always bet for value with top pair plus on the flop.

Question 15

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

They begin opening their preflop ranges in the CO and BTN, but remain tight in the EP and MP.

Answer 15

Tight Aggressive

Attack with 3Bet bluffs when their range is widest.

Question 16

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Prefers bets and raises over checks and calls.

Answer 16

Loose Aggressive

You can slowly play big hands to get value from their frequent bluffing hands.

Question 17

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Can slow play preflop and pos-tflop.

Answer 17

Tight Passive

Look out for deception. They only call large bets for a good reason, like top pair plus. So beware before double barrel bluffing.

Question 18

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Post flop STATION (calls instead of raising or folding).

Answer 18

Loose Passive

Build pots for value or fold vs aggression.

Question 19

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Quick to fold weaker pairs and draws because they see little value in these hands.

Answer 19

Tight Aggressive

Bet and raise to earn post-flop pots. Make sure your size hits their pain threshold. Often at 2/3 pot or more.

Question 20

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Loves to see flops with anything pretty like suited hands and off-suited connectors, any ace and broadway hands.

Answer 20

Loose Aggressive

Before raising or re-raising them pre-flop, expect a call from them. So plan for post-flop play.

Question 21

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Often Calls flops and folds turns on scary boards. Calling flop & turn = likely going to showdown.

Answer 21

Tight Passive

Value bet huge on rivers if they called the flop and turn. Beware turn and river raises.

Question 22

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Prefers checks and calls over bets and raises.

Answer 22

Loose Passive

Be quick to fold when the draw completes and they get aggressive.

Question 23

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

CBets flops often, but some are turn honest (ex. CBet drops from 75% on the flop to 45% on the turn).

Answer 23

Tight Aggressive

Call flops with the plan to bluff when they check the turn on boards that don’t interact well with their range.

Question 24

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Non-believers post-flop, so they don’t like folding any pair.

Answer 24

Loose Aggressive

Value bet big and never slow play because they are more capable of paying you off with worse.

Question 25

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Possibly honest versus bets on the turn or river, and is quick to fold without top pair or the best draws.

Answer 25

Tight Passive

Use stats to gauge street honesty and gauge range/board interaction. Make sure you have enough chips to pressure his honest street.

Question 26

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Pot controls with strong hands, big bets and raises with the nuts.

Answer 26

Tight Passive

Listen to what their bets and raises are telling you and be prepared to fold all but the nuts.

Question 27

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

No hand reading ability. Plays cards face-up post flop but can slow play.

Answer 27

Loose Passive

Have a very good reason to call or raise versus any post-flop aggression.

Question 28

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Losing player in general.

Answer 28

Loose Passive

Target them and play as many hands as possible!

Question 29

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

River aggression is mostly for value unless the board comes scary and they can rep a good hand.

Answer 29

Tight Aggressive

Beware of river aggression and be willing to fold 1 pair hands.

Question 30

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Winning player in general

Answer 30

Tight Aggressive

Avoid them for the most part, especially OOP, unless you’ve found specific weaknesses to exploit or you hold a playable hand.

Question 31

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

They’re in love with hitting big hands like straights and flushes of any strength.

Answer 31

Loose Aggressive

Play your value hands fast on wet boards before the draw completes. Once complete, slow down and pot control.

Question 32

What kind of player is this? And what is the exploit to this player characteristic?

Can be winning players, especially at lower stats like 24/18 or 21/19.

Answer 32

Loose Aggressive

Do not allow them to have position.