You will meet all types of players in the cardroom. Some will be young, some old. There are males and females and players of all races and nationalities. In this day of political correctness we are cautioned to refrain from any type of stereotyping of the individuals we meet. This is practical advice in and out of the cardroom. However, after playing Texas Hold'em for a while, you will find that most players will fall into a few common categories based on what hands they play and how they play them. Players can be loose or tight along with being passive or aggressive.
Loose Players
Loose players believe that any two cards can win. They have no set standard as to which hands they play and will try to play as many hands as possible. They want to be involved and, once they are in the hand, they are reluctant to fold. These are recreational players and gamblers. They come to play and play they shall. Since they are playing a lot of hands, they consequently will win quite a few pots. However, in the long run, their wins will not offset all their losses. Having a lot of loose players in the game can make for some really large pots.
Tight Players
Tight players are just the opposite of loose players. They are very selective about the hands they play. They will only play premium hands that will have the best chance of winning. They usually refrain from playing gapped drawing hands in favor of the large cards and pocket pairs. Tight players will win more money in low-limit games, as other players are less likely to notice that they are playing very few hands. In higher-limit games, or games with knowledgeable players, there will be more players folding when the tight player does bet.
Passive or Weak Players
Passive players like to check and call. They don't like to raise and they will play their hands without much conviction. They won't push their hands by raising, preferring instead to let other players dictate the action. Because a passive player will call raises and bets, you stand to make money from this player when you win. You also will lose less money when they have the better hand because they have not been raising you.
Aggressive Players
Aggressive players will play their hands strongly. They will raise when the opportunity presents itself. They like to control the action, preferring to bet or raise rather than check or call. They are not afraid to check raise or cap the betting to eliminate other players. Aggressive players can intimidate passive players and, at times, run all over them.
You can mix and match these categories and break the majority of players down into four basic groups.
Loose-Passive
This group is also known as the "calling station." They will play many hands but will not play them strongly. A calling station will cold-call two raises before the flop and stay until the river, looking for that miracle draw. Even if it is clear that they are beaten, they will sometimes call just to keep you "honest" or to see what you had. There are some downsides to the calling station. They are the ones who will inflict the worst bad beats on you because of the cards they are playing and the fact they are staying to the end.
You have to accept this as a fact of life and be emotionally prepared when the bad beat comes along. In the long run, you will win more from these players than you will lose to them. You don't want to discourage them or drive them out of the game by berating them and criticizing the way they play. If you do get beat by a calling station tell them, "Nice Hand!" Encourage them to continue playing just the way that they are.
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