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The typical conception of players who play tight pre-Flop is they can be bluffed out of a pot in later rounds with a well-timed bluff raise or semi-bluff. Although this stereotype may be used when you do not know the players well, it shows the importance of observing and judging individual players on how they play their hands. Tight pre-Flop players who have entered a pot are entering the pot with higher quality hands than other players. If they are entering the pot with higher quality hands that means they will typically have more reason to continue on through the hand than they would if they played more starting hands. It may turn out that a pre-Flop tight player folds less often, on a percentage basis once he is already in the pot, than a looser player because the looser player often has little reason to continue with the hand after the Flop. Any player will find it tough to fold a big pocket pair, overcards to the board or inside straight draws with overcards (such as AQ when the high card on the board is a J or T). Many players, even those that are tight pre-Flop, will fall in love and get married to these premium pre-Flop hands. This can especially happen if they are selective and it is one of the few hands that they have played recently. Your observation of your opponent’s play is useful as you would be able to identify this type of minute difference that others may miss.

Professional players are sharp and observant. They will observe your play and have a better idea of how you play than other players will. Normally you want to stay out of their way if you have a marginal hand. But if you are involved with a professional player, you need to think about what he thinks of you. If you have been playing tight, they may peg you as a tight player. Then you can bluff or semi-bluff with a higher degree of success. If you have made some fancy plays, such as semi-bluffing and raising for free cards, they may be more inclined to call you down. However, in the long run, it will be difficult to trick a sharp, observant player into thinking you are what you are not. You have to accept the fact that these players will have a decent handle on your game. The money you expect to make at the table is going to come from other players.

It is possible that sharp players will play differently against other players than they would against you. If you are a decent player yourself, the sharp players will likely know this and play against you accordingly. They may bet for value against weak calling stations, but would not when you are their opponent. They may call down aggressive semi-bluffers, but may not when you are the player doing the raising. They may semi-bluff the tight players, but may not if they think you are likely to call. It is useful to know what they think of you and how they will play against you in specific situations. All of this takes time in studying the players to pinpoint their level of understanding.

In order to identify how players play, you should get a sense of their pattern of play. Players tend to be consistent with their styles, so if you observe their play, you will have a better idea of what you are up against in future hands. Here are a few things to watch for and what they may mean.
1. Do they like to be the bettor or raiser or do they like to be the caller?
Players who like to bet or raise are aggressive in general. This may mean they are a bit unpredictable as they can bet or raise with a wider variety of hands. Players who like to call or check are more predictable because when they bet or raise, you can be more assured they have a strong hand.
2. Do they play straightforward or are they tricky?
Players who are predictable tend to play in a straightforward manner. When they bet, it means they have a quality hand, when they check it means they have a mediocre or poor hand. Tricky players like to check-raise, slowplay, semi-bluff, bluff and raise for free cards. Many of these plays constitutes playing in a disguised manner in one round but showing the true strength of the hand in another.
3. Do they like to raise with a draw or will they only raise with a made hand?
Players who like to raise with draws are more unpredictable. They could be raising with made hands as well, so when they do raise, it is less clear what type of hand they have. Players who only raise with made hands are more predictable. If you do not have a better made hand yourself, you know you have to catch to beat them.
4. Do they have a good understanding of the game of Hold’em?
In all of these cases, it is important to know if your opponents have a decent understanding of the game. If they do not, then they may be acting based on their misconceptions. For example, a player who has a straight when there is a possible flush on board may disregard the possibility of his opponents holding a flush and may think of the strength of his own hand in isolation. These players are unpredictable only because they have a poor understanding of the game, thus their actions are tougher for an experienced player to rationalize.