Whatever type of poker you are playing, maybe its free online poker, pay poker or poker with friends, there are two types of players when sitting at a Texas Holdem table, the ones who play the cards and the others who play the player. So, which type of play is best? And how do you know if you are playing the right one? Well, in my experience, I try to play both.

After a few years of playing the game and learning how to figure out and know the “outs”, hand percentages, etc., it did help my game tremendously, but not nearly as much as I had hoped. What I did not factor in, was the style of play by others. Playing the player is a strategy that should not be overlooked.

Most poker players tend to play any hand given to them, sometimes they can win with a rubbish hand by bluffing and other times they can get a decent hand and win with that. At the end of the day, pretty much any set of cards can win a hand.

The question some may ask is how do you play a player. The simplistic answer is to observe and study how possible opponent’s play before you attempt playing a player. Make note of their playing techniques and take in as much about them as possible, such as how often they raise, how much they bet, etc. This may take you some time, but it is well worth taking as much in as you can before you attempt to take them on.

So, is this going to make you win? Not all of the time, no. You are still playing poker and its all about luck and skill at the end of the day. No matter how great your poker skills are, you are not always going to win. But in the long run it will vastly improve your chances of winning against this type of player. You may not win every hand or every time, but you will win more than just playing your cards.

Good luck with these tips and I hope to see you at the free online poker tables soon!