Spotting Weak Players

Often the time when you first spot one of the softer players on the table is after they pay off, or suck out on, one of your big hands with a really marginal hand. Thankfully there are a number of ways that you can spot the soft players quite quickly before you play a big pot with them.

One of the more obvious telltale signs is when a player limps into a lot of pots. The fact that they are limping, rather than raising, suggests that they are unaware of the value of aggression. The fact that they are playing lots of pots suggests they have no understanding of good hand selection.

When they do bet, it’s often always the minimum, regardless of the pot size or the action before them. Even if the pot is $1000 they will bet something small like $50 and when they re-raise, they will always re-raise the minimum. All of which points to the fact that they have no understanding of bet sizing and value betting.

In cash games, if the player buys in for less than the table maximum, it suggests they do not know how to play with a deep stack. Also pay attention to if they buy in for an odd amount, such as buying in for €67.34 in a €100 table. Buying in for such a random amount usually signifies that they are playing with the very last of their online bankroll.

Also when a new player joins the cash table, look for anyone who posts the big blind out of position. This is when they elect to play a big blind when it isn’t their turn, rather than sitting out until the blind gets to them. Anyone who does that has no understanding of position and is just there to gamble.

In tournaments keep an eye out for players that are still limping, calling small raises and min betting when they have a very short stack. By this stage they should be pushing all-in or folding, anything else is a sign of a bad player.

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