Pokerwiner.com → Within poker principles
One easy-to-spot tip-off of a player’s general skill level is whether or not he ever throws a hand away for half a bet in the small blind. If he’s not folding some hands here, then he’s one of the masses of too-loose players.(*In games where the small blind is two-thirds of the big blind players who no longer throw away their hand for that extra one-third of a bet are not really doing anything wrong.) Does he habitually defend his big blind when it is raised?
Okay, then how about his small blind ? Near-habitual small blind defenders virtually always have clear weaknesses in their play, and are usually pretty bad players overall.
Though correct. Play must vary according to the kind of game you are in, better players tend mostly toward a tight, aggressive style of play. For example, if you are sitting in a style of play. For example, if you are sitting in a typical, middle limit game, about average overall in the tightness and aggression of the players involved, and you see enough of an opponent’s play to know that he’s very loose and aggressive, you can be fairly confident that he is playing less than expertly. More observation is required to determine just how badly he plays, but this simple indicator is a good start.
Watch to see if and when he folds over the course of a reasonable number of hands played. (Don’t be fooled by a player who has simply run well for while. Make sure you’ve seen enough hands to be meaningful. That usually includes seeing some hands shown down.) If he seems to have trouble laying hands down, then you may have found a “calling station.” If he’s passive, and calls almost habitually, then you’re dealing with one of the easiest, most profitable kinds of opponents to have in a game.
Of course you prefer the straight forward player (unless your opponent is a complete maniac). He bets when he has something, checks when he has little, and raises only with strong hands. His lack of deception simply tells you what kind of hand he has most of the time. To know consistently where you stand in relation to your opponent in a hand is pure profit.
This is another easy-to-spot indicator. It is the only purely behavioral indicator that I will include in this list. I do so because it is actually fairly reliable. Though there are some skilled players who steam their money off, and many who do grumble a bit after a bad beat, the great majority of the time when you see a player react with intense frustration or disgust, that player turns out to be mediocre at best.
Alternatively, such a player may display these emotions less intensely, but very consistently. But by the time you’ve seen this, you should have already developed a good line on his play.(* This indicator does not hold as reliable in very big games where some good players are known to get quite upset at bad beats). The indicators above are but a sampling of the things you can look for to get a quick sense of an opponent’s level of play. But they are among the signs I have found to be the most reliable, and easiest to spot.
Not long before writing this essay I was playing in a good $40-$80 game one evening when a player I’d never seen before sat down. He seemed fairly aggressive, and was winning about $800 or $900 early on. An acquaintance leaned over and asked me, “Isn’t that guy supposed to be some expert on holdem? I think I saw him give a talk in L.A. at a poker seminar.” I said, “I don’t know. Could be. I’ve never seen him before though.” Over the next hour or so, as the player in question lost a few hands, he showed increasing frustration and anger at being drawn out on.
It also became clear that he was playing too loosely in general, and defending his blinds with nearly anything, then staying with hands too tenaciously in the face of clear signs that he was beaten. I made a mental note to bet for value a little more liberally versus this player than I would against better players. Within another hour he was down about $2,000 and his play had deteriorated noticeably. Shortly thereafter he got up in disgust, and moved to a $20-$40 game. To this day I have no idea who this person was or if he had in fact given a talk on holdem in L.A. But I do know he was no expert, and it didn’t take long to determine that and adjust accordingly. Perhaps this is because they are playing for a significant portion of their net worth.
Playing Too Many Hands-I / Playing Too Many Hands-II
Bad Plays Good Players make / Self-Weighting Cold Calls
Do You Pass the Ace-Queen Test /
Conjecture on the Limits of Tell Detectability
Quick Indicators / Afterthought