Poker is a very versatile game. Different poker players play this game very differently. Some of them stick to aggressive play while others will never abandon slowplaying. Expert poker players, however, can typically adapt to whatever situation they find themselves in. If you are only a poker amateur or even already a seasoned poker player, you certainly need to be familiar with the different playing styles. Knowing how to read a player's behavior at the table is key to winning in poker.

Here we have listed several of the most common poker plays:

1. Aggressive play. Poker players who tend to raise and reraise a lot are called aggressive players. There are two main advantages to playing aggressively. First, sometimes aggression brings victory to players with the weakest hands. Why, you probably ask? The answer to this question lies in the bluff factor. When you succeed in convincing your opponents that your hand is strong, while actually holding a highly marginal one, you can certainly nab the pot. Second, generally speaking, aggressive play is known for provoking mistakes on behalf of non-aggressive players. Nevertheless, aggression must not be adopted as the only gaming style. Remember, once you are predictable you become the most vulnerable.

2. Bluffing play. We believe that we don't have to explain what a bluffing play is. You need to agree that the term is rather self-explanatory. What we do want to discuss are the advantages and disadvantages associated with poker bluffing. A bluffing strategy is designed to help players with weak hands. If a player believes that his/her only way of winning is by having everyone else fold, he/she should definitely try bluffing. Nevertheless, as with any other gaming strategy practiced too frequently, bluffing holds the threat of becoming predictable. The optimal bluffing frequency is to mislead your opponents to such an extent that they will not be able to tell when you are bluffing and when you aren't.

3. Isolation play. The goal of a player who chooses to use the isolation strategy is to kick some of his opponents out of the pot. A player who engages in isolation play makes a raise with the purpose of locking heads-up with a certain player. Isolation plays are widely practiced against maniacs (a term referring to overly aggressive poker players). The move is also frequently used in tournaments when a player seeks to isolate a player who is very likely to be soon eliminated from the event. Isolation play should be used only if you know what you're doing, otherwise the outcome can be fatal for the one who initiates the move.

4. Slow play. Slow playing is actually the very opposite of bluffing. While bluffing means playing aggressively despite holding a weak hand, slow playing refers to a situation in which a player with a very strong hand is betting passively. The goal of a slowplayer is to lure other people into the pot, those who are likely to fold to a sudden raise. Convenient circumstances for slowplaying include situations in which a player has a very strong hand and the pot is not yet fat enough.

5. Protection play. A player goes for protection play when his/her hand is not weak enough to start bluffing but not strong enough to justify slowplaying. In other words, when your hand is of high value but still stands the risk of being beaten by an even more valuable one, it's recommended that you protect your hand. A protection bet typically leaves fewer opponents to compete against and awards a better chance of collecting the pot.

Whether you are an online poker player or a live poker one does not matter. Either way, we hope that you use the info provided in this article to your advantage at the tables!