Poker is a game that is often favored by the weirdest of players. This is where you’ll find players who wear sunglasses indoors, who have beards that rival those of the Norse Gods, who take a stuffed toy along with them while they play. Really, there’s no limit to the absurdity of some of the characters you meet on the felt. However, these kinds of things are relatively inconsequential and will only distract you from your game. It doesn’t matter if they’re using a chicken costume or if they’re dressed in rags. What matters is that you manage to look underneath their disguises and see what kind of poker player they really are.

 

A river rat is someone that you would not want to meet on the felt. They’re the most annoying creatures you will come across in poker. They constantly make calls that are without logic, and often just pray for a miracle to be waiting for them at the river. When they get a decent hand at the pre-flop, they will keep on betting and raising. And when the flop arrives and they’re not in his favor, the river rat will simply call any bet you make. On one hand, river rats are very easy to earn money from. They constantly make the wrong decisions by never backing their moves with thought.

 

Rocks are people who are absurdly tight. They won’t even wait for the flop. In fact, they won’t even call the blinds. They almost never play a hand, and are therefore not very noticeable on the felt. They always wait until they have a very good chance of winning before they play. Take note, though, that when they do play, expect them to win. They probably have a very very good hand. The river rats are practically the worst enemies of the rocks. A rock’s problem is that he’s never too aggressive. He’ll go far if he has a winning hand, but push him hard enough, and you’ll find him folding. This is why the river rats can sometimes beat the rocks and scare them out of a good hand.

 

Slow players, on the other hand, are people that you have to watch out for.  They are the people who are experts at lying low. They’re like tigers. They blend into the background, crouch low, and wait until the last moment to pounce so that they can catch the other players unawares. They are experts at making people think that they’re just chasing the pot or that they have bad or mediocre hands, when actually they are holding the winning hands. 

 

Now, a shark – a shark is someone you have to fear. They are the best poker players, the so-called pros. They can be passive, tight, loose, or aggressive, depending on the type of situation. They can read people’s emotions and can usually tell what hand you’re playing right off the bat. And, really, when you see a shark at the felt, just run. If not, you can play against him, and just make the whole game a learning process. Learn from the shark, and you’ll find yourself a considerably better player.