If you see a poker player show no interest whatsoever in the game after they have folded, this may be a sign. Many experienced players do this simply because they are playing poker for reasons other than trying to win. Remember one very important thing and I have argued this many times with people, experience can be a very bad thing if all you have done is practiced doing something incorrectly. The amount of time that someone has played poker or anything else for that matter is not an indication of skill.

I play online poker with several players who are such action junkies that after they have folded a hand, they go and play a hand of blackjack or place a bet on roulette simply because they cannot wait for the next hand to be dealt before they see action. These people crave action like a drug addict craves his next fix. They are loose and aggressive and can be dangerous to your bankroll because these players will put beats on you constantly. However, if you can handle that, stay with them for these people are some of the juiciest fish in the sea.

Another classic sign is a player who is unaware of poker terminology, this is a very good sign and is certain to reveal a player who has not played much. When trying to categorise players, I urge you to use what I call “life skills”. Every day of our lives, our eyes receive billions of pieces of information which in turn is sent to our brain. The brain, the most complex computer system of all analyses this information very rapidly. We are constantly making judgments about people in everyday life without even realising it. Try to use these skills at the poker table if you are not doing it already.

The conclusion to all this is that player identification is critical but is also very difficult. Remember that the most important player of all to classify is you. If anything of what you have read applies to you, then you had better be careful. I have often thought that the major reason why I have been successful in poker was that once upon a time, I had the courage to take a good long hard look at myself. I came to the conclusion that I was not as good as I thought I was and decided to seriously do something about it.

It is a great big poker playing ocean out there and the “fish” come in many shapes and sizes. Many types of “fish” evolve and become almost different animals. Just because you have identified a “fish” does not mean that they will continue to be fishy. Player identification needs constant practice and refinement. I hope that this article has gone some way in not only helping you identify your opponents but also more importantly, yourself. In the next article, we will take a look at identifying “fish” through their quality of play.

Carl “The Dean” Sampson