Player Profiles

[LombardiStix]

Ok so the face of the successful poker player isn't the same anymore. Or maybe it has always been different. Players like Durr with so much success on less than conventional hands and untapped aggression. So what is the player style/profile that you think is the most successful in this modern poker age. And while this may change for different games I'm speaking mostly to the MTT player. If you also have an answer for the ring game then feel free to share it.

[ND1991]

In any large field, my experience with cashing has come down to a few things:

1) Playing smart. You cannot be stubborn, you cannot go after someone, each hand is a tiny battle in a war where you try to gather more chips or lose as few as possible in that endeavour.

2) Patience. If you cannot fold 20 hands in a row because they all stink and are going to gamble when you get bored then MTTs may not be your thing. See 1) above, bored and gambling is not smart.

3) Taking the right risks. Once you form a table image you need to use it at the right times to gather chips. Sometimes this is an overbet with a monster, sometimes a semi-bluff, and sometimes a bold faced bluff. If it is the last and you get caught or run into a monster, you may look foolish but I still believe there are a few risks you have to take.

4) Luck! Whether someone calls with the worst of it and hits the flop, or you get caught red-handed bluffing, sometimes you need to draw out. Sometimes you need because you would cripled and other times you need because you would be out, but you always need one and sometimes two. Like the hand you push with QQ and get called by KK and AA and hit your two outer!

5) Good cards late in tournament. Once the blinds are big and the crazy players are weeded out, you need to get some cards at the end. See 1), 2), and 4) above.

So what stype works best? One YOU are the most comfortable with. Sure Durr wins, could I play like him, nope, I wouldn't be comfortable. Daniel wins too and so does Dan Harrington, and so does Gus Hansen. Play the style you are most comfortable with and hit the five above and you will be cashing.

At least my $0.035 ;-)

[marios_521]

The old times the success was depended on 3 words:
- Tight
- Aggressive
- Solid

You had to study odds, position, equity and some tricks (check/raise, slowplay etc) and the money was there to get it.

Nowdays there are 3 other words when we describe a succesfull player:
- Loose
- Agressive
- (with good) reads

Players like Daniel Negreanu are virtuosi on that style and it is the new trend in poker "fashion" (At least is my favorite style!)

So... I think that to win "real" money you have to be very aggressive and unpredictable.
Ofcource you have to have a great understanding of the game (maths) and a big bankroll!



edit: I am talking more about cash games but it is the same for high buy-ins tournaments.

[illphillllllll]

being able to size your bets correctly is really important in online poker tournys. its important to locate the calling stations and tight players so you know how to bet each opponent. while value betting your tight opponents is pretty standard you want to hammer the weaker players with over bets when you have the better hand. since the weaker players have no idea what pot odds are you should size your bets bigger than you would against an average or above average player.

[Poker Orifice]

In today's larger buyin online MTTs the TAG-style seems to still dominate the results.
I watch alot of the bigger buyin MTTs and also follow a handful of the more successful players who play in them. There's a small handful of players who play the LAG style very successfully but generally speaking this is a very small percentage of the LAG players out there. A player that come to mind is 'Doc Sands' on Fulltilt. This guy plays at almost VP$IP 50% (I've actually seen in some tournaments where his VP$IP has been above 50%). Another player who is extremely aggressive once it gets a bit deeper is Chris Moorman ('MOORMAN I' on Fulltilt, currently has over $800k in net earnings on Fulltilt alone). If this guy gets a stack (and even sometimes when he doesn't) he'll be opening ~80% of the pots no matter what position he is in.

On the whole though, the TAG style players are still the ones who dominate the standings. It takes alot of skill to master the LAG style, especially at the higher buyin levels. Most of the better, more successful ones will be amping up their game when oppurtunities present themselves and will also try to take control of the table once the tourney is deep ITM &/or on the bubble.