7-part series
Know Your Opponent
Every table has the same handful of players: the calling station who never folds, the maniac who never stops raising, the nit, the TAG, the LAG and the balanced pro. This series takes them one at a time, shows how to spot each and how to beat them, and ends with the player you most need to read: you.
Read the series in order
How to Beat a Calling Station
The calling station is the player who will not fold. You beat it with a plan you can write on a napkin, and the roster is full of them to practice on.
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How to Beat a Maniac in Poker
The maniac is the calling station's violent cousin. Just as sticky, except they bet. You beat them by getting out of the way and letting them hang themselves.
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How to Play Against a Nit
The nit is the calling station's opposite. They fold too much. You beat them by stealing every pot they don't want and believing them every single time they do.
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How to Beat a Tight-Aggressive Player (the TAG)
The TAG is the hardest seat at the table and the most honest mirror. Against the others you exploit a flaw. Against a TAG, the flaw it finds is usually yours.
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How to Beat a LAG (the Loose-Aggressive Player)
The LAG is the maniac with a license. Same relentless aggression, except now it's earned. You beat them with position, patience, and a willingness to play back.
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How to Play Against a Balanced (GTO) Player
A perfectly balanced opponent has no leak to attack. You don't beat them, you break even. The real skill is recognizing that and spending your chips elsewhere.
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How Not to Be the Fish
You've spent six posts learning to beat every type at the table. This one is about making sure you aren't the type getting beaten.
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