The need for you as a learner of poker online, to observe and take notes on your opponents, cannot be stressed enough. If you have good starting hand requirements, you will fold a great majority of your hands. This will give you plenty of time to study your opponents and see how they play.
During the course of a game, you can fill up a huge amount of space. This can become cumbersome, and make the notes almost not worth reading, as they become a jumbled ream of random thoughts. We think the reader would agree then, that a good way to organize these notes would be most helpful!
Many experts classify poker online players in 5 general categories, only 4 of which most of us will ever get the chance to play against. They are the mouse, jackal, elephant, lion, and eagle. Their poker characteristics are as follows:
The Mouse
The mouse is an ultra-conservative player who plays very strict starting hand requirements. It will bet, but rarely ever raises a bet or re-raise. The mouse almost never bluffs. The mouse’s weakness is that he or she is simply too predictable. When the mouse starts to raise, good players typically fold their hands, and in the mouse loses out on some chips they may have won, had they not earned themselves such a stodgy reputation. This character type is also referred to as a rock.
The Jackal
Jackals are pretty common animals in low limit best online poker. This type of player plays a lot of cards, and bets and raises with abandon. You can make a lot of money off a player like this. Do not ever be afraid to call a jackal, because since they play loose, you will catch them bluffing with trash often. A jackal is destined to lose his money. Good players see him for the loose player that he is and take advantage of his weaknesses.
The Elephant
The elephant is what most online poker real money players refer to as a “calling station.” The elephant has loose starting hand requirements, and so he plays in a lot of pots. As a result, he ends up in a lot of hands that he or she has no chance of winning. This type of player does not lose all of his chips at once since he generally prefers calling to raising, but over time, the elephant contributes most of his chip stack to the other players.
The Lion
The lion is rare in low limit games. The lion is an excellent poker player and makes his living taking chips from the mouse, elephant, and jackal. A tight player who takes the occasional risk or bluff to keep from getting labeled a “rock” would be a good example of a lion.
The Eagle
The eagle is a character that most of us will never reach or even play against. The eagle represents the pinnacle of the poker world. He or she has studied the game for years and is now in the upper ranks of the poker world.
Happy playing!
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