Profiling, real life comparison

I have a lot I been wanting to discuss but haven't had much time to write since I been focusing a tremendous amount of time on my game. This topic entitled, "Profiling, real life comparison" is one generated about a month ago while I was driving to a client during work. It has been brought to my attention, over the course of talking with my poker friends, that one of the difficulties in poker is profiling a player; whether it's online or in a brink and mortar casino. The problem they face is, "how do I know if I am right?", or the common "I know what he's trying to do but I can't go against him... the one time I do, he will bust me."

While all these comments are true concerns, the problem these players face is the lack of confidence they have in reading their opponent. What they fail to realize is, most of the time... it's not hard to profile someone.

Now I am not talking about looking at a elder guy who seen every day for the last 100 years and you figure him to be a tight player who will just plays the nuts verses the 21-yr old next to him with his ball cap, shades, and FTP jersey who's likely going to be super aggressive. This type of profiling is outlined in any popular poker book, and as well, physical appearance profiling can not only be misleading, but also hold no value to online play. My focus on making profiling easier is more focused for online play than it is for live. This focus will not truly help you make immediate assumptions that "the guy in seat 5 is super aggressive"; but rather open you up to the idea that you can make these assumptions on your own, which isn't as difficult than it may seem.

There is a reason why I included "real life comparison" in this blog's title and that is because I want you to take a moment and compare the action at a poker table to action you see in every day life. Assuming that everyone playing poker is of the legal age I would like to use driving as an example. Lets take a look and profile some of our drivers:

Super Aggressive - These drivers are the road warriors of the highway. They come in all genders and ages, and drive a wide variety of vehicles. These are the drivers who edge up every 5 seconds at a red light and by the time the light is green half their car is in the middle of the road. When the light turns, they are across the street before you even tough your gas pedal. These kats zig-zag out of heavy traffic, often tailgate, use merging ramps as chances to pass a line of cars, and of course, accompany all of their actions with excessive speed. These super aggressive drivers are the one's cops dream of catching and usually get multiple tickets for their actions.

Aggressive - Aggressive drivers are a little more common then your super aggressive. These drivers will still edge up at red lights, but don't smoke the tires when it turns green. They drive fast and take opportunities to pass cars with minimal risk. They some times get brave and will use some traits from the super aggressive driver, but for the most part they just want to get to where ever they are going in a hurry.

Selective (Tight) Aggressive - These drivers seem to be the most common in my area, your area may differ. These drivers are the ones that still hang out in the fast lane when there is not a lot of traffic. They don't zig-zag and do all the crazy stuff that your super aggressive/aggressive drivers do. They usually hang around 10 MPH over the speed limit, and when they see a cop they slow down for the next 3 miles. They some times share traits from an aggressive driver when they are behind a slow moving vehicle and "take a chance" to get around them, but for the most part they are just trying to exercise every bit of aggressive they can get away with without jeopardizing getting a ticket.

Passive - These drivers go the speed limit, no more then 5 over. They always slow down to and stop to a red light, and never take off fast. They are happy to be in the slow lane in a multi-lane highway, and feel there is no reason to do anything "stupid" or "crazy" while they are driving. These passive drivers are usually focused on all the other cars on the road, and stay away from using cell phones, or eating behind the wheel. These drivers couldn't win a race to save their life, but they are more out for a Sunday drive than a race.

Weak - These drivers are the ones who just never caught on. While their driving may make it in small towns or large country roads, in the city they get chewed up and spit out. They stop at lights as soon as they turn yellow. They let everyone pass them and let everyone in front of them. They usually drive under the posted speed limit and usually seen with a tail of cars behind them. Others often honk horns at weak drivers when they are still stopped from a red light even after it's been green for some time now. They some times do crazy moves that can almost get them killed, like turning slowly in front of oncoming traffic. These drivers seem to be in the own little world, completely scared to do something illegal or get into an accident, but when one does occur, it's often their own fault and lack of situational awareness.

Clueless Amateur - The amateur drivers are often the new kids on the road. They have a slight aggression to their driving because for some reason they feel like they are "hot shots" now they have wheels. They often do really stupid things and are often seen in accidents. They take chances to race other "hot shots" and really focus on ego while they are driving. If alone, they might drive normal but with pressure of friends in the car, they go insane -they have to be "cool". If they see someone getting away with something, say using a short side street going the wrong way to cut around traffic, they will be turned on to try it themselves. Often these types of drivers learn their lessons the hard way, sometimes at the cost of others.

All these driver labels are ones that I am sure you can relate to. From time to time I think we seen these types of drivers in our everyday travels and maybe even pointed their actions out to others in your car; "look at that asshole speeding in between cars". Sound familiar? It should. While my "driver profiling" may not be 100% accurate, it is my own interpretation of the various drivers I see on the road. My friends claim that I am indeed an aggressive driver, but I fail to see myself anyone but a person who just wants to get where I am going. So ignorance is bliss when it comes to labeling yourself. But this blog isn't about labeling yourself at all, nor is it about labeling what type of driver you are. It's about making these types of profiles when you are playing poker. If it's this easy to profile drivers, then how can it be much difficult to use the same concept in profiling your opponents. I will not go in depth with these profiles since I am assuming you already know the classifications. The real focal point here is to understand the relationship to these classifications to the classifications of something that is everyday. Now, lets take a look at the same profiles but in terms of poker.

Super Aggressive - These players are in a lot of pots and love raising. They have no fear in throwing all their chips in the pot and never slow down even if they get caught. These players are never happy until everyone is out of their way. They are the "bullies" of a poker table, and their risk vs reward is always huge. Most players try to stay out of their way so they are not to be run over. These players can often be viewed as maniacs.

Aggressive - These players are ones that like to steal pots they are in. They try to represent hands and often buy people out of the pot. They love to play position and almost always do so with a raise. They constant apply pressure to their opponents and once in a while will attempt to make a big play borrowed from the super aggressive player's book. Aggressive players do not play as many pots as your super aggressive player, and their bets are not as big... but they still keep the action expensive while putting all their opponents to the test. They want to be first and will take risks to get there.

Selective (Tight) Aggressive - These guys play their position, usually with a raise. They like applying pressure and try to read their opponents. If they sense weakness, they make a move at a pot with a less then normal betting hand. If they sense strength they back away. They feed on the poor, and know when to attack and when not to. Selective Aggressive players will also tend to slow down once someone looks them up with a "not so strong hand" and they loose. But as soon as the player feels that his loss is out of everyone mind's, he is back attacking. This player will do anything to be first without jeapordizing himself.

Passive - These players hate the idea of raising. They like to see every flop for cheap. They love premium hands but will often loose by letting others take the lead. They rarely defend themselves and are often the players that end up blinding themselves out. These are the players who make comments like, "every time I had a good hand someone had a better hand". Usually such a comment is made after they allowed their opponent to catch runner-runner for free and now they are busted from the game. Often these players are just happy to be there, and even happier if they go deep in the tournament. The money is just an added bonus.

Weak - Weak players are the fish. They have no situational awareness and often get caught and go bust and have no idea how it happened, meanwhile the rest of the table is saying, "what was he thinking". Often these players don't play the hands or the position they should and then make moves when they shouldn't which causes them to go on a head on collision with a guy who has the nuts verses their top pair to a straight-flush drawing board.

Clueless Amateur - Different from weak, these players usually seen a couple poker games on TV and think they know how to play. They make what they feel are "professional, top player moves" but have no idea on how stupid or risky that move was. To them, it worked for that guy so it should work for me. They often play their cards with the intention to show off. These players are the ones you see raising all in preflop then show their 7-2 os to everyone with no other intentions but to brag. When they get lucky in a tournament early (usually by a suckout) they feel they are superior and usually end up donking off all their money later on the tournament as their ego gets in their way. They confide in their friends (who are even more clueless) and brag on how good they are and how much they can get away with. More often then not, these players have more "bad beat" stories then any other player. Usually these stories are exaggerated to seem more favorable for them so when they tell their friends they don't look completely stupid. These players are also too, the fish.

The above post is not to say if your an aggressive driver you will be an aggressive poker player. While this may or may not be true, the point being made is that it's often easy to label a driver on the road. The same approach can also be used for the poker table. All too often I see people not being able to label a player, especially online. If you watch a player's actions you can make the same assumptions on that person that you could if you seen them drive. Use your eyes, focus on the action, and note results. When the player raised from early position how strong was is hand? Does this player always bet on the flop but often fold to a raise? Has this guy played a hand lately? All of these questions can help you determine the profile of your opponent. It's not hard to do as long as you do not over complicate the matter.

Lets look at some other factors. Sometimes drivers change their habits. Maybe an aggressive driver received too many tickets and their next ticket will take their license away so now he is more passive. Maybe an aggressive player is starting a family and can not take the large risk anymore. Maybe the passive driver has a family emergency and is willing to be an aggressive driver for the time being as they drive to the hospital. Such changes in a driver's habits are also seen at a poker table. If a super aggressive player looses all his chips, he might start to tighten up and look for a situation to double up. At the same time, if the super aggressive player comes into a massive amount of chips he might switch to a more selective aggressive mode. The passive player might have picked up a book since the last game and feel like he might try some new moves. Reasons for a poker player to chance their way of playing can go on indefinitly. Simply people change and situations change. The point here is what you profile someone today, or even for the time being - might change. You need to keep yourself open to this and always keep re-evaluating the table.

I hope this blog was at least interesting and maybe someone learned something out of this. The point being is, when you pay attention to the road when driving you can often profile what type of driver someone is regardless of what vehicle they drive or look like. If you use the same observation skills at a poker table you can employ the same profiling on players without knowing their physical appearance or age. Just remember that people and situations change and keep an eye out for such changes. Never fall in love with your first assumption, always be willing to adjust your view on the player as time goes buy. Consider: What's different now then before?, what's his stack to everyone else?, what's the blinds?, and what happen previously to this player in a similar situation? All these questions, plus others that you can craft on your own, will help you determine the mindset of your opponent when they suddenly switch gears. Poker is a game of knowledge and the more you have the better player you will ultimately be.